Dennis Weathersby
Encyclopedia
Dennis Weathersby is a former NFL
cornerback
for the Cincinnati Bengals
.
. At OSU he started 45 games, and set a school record of 57 passes deflected. He was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team 4 consecutive years.
. However, on April 20, 2003, only three days before the NFL draft, he was shot in the back in an apparent gang-related shooting when he and his friend were mistaken for gang members. Despite the incident, the Bengals still drafted him in the fourth round joining his former Oregon State teammates Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh who were also drafted. He survived and recovered from the shooting, but his injuries took longer than expected to heal and he only played in 4 games his rookie season.
On April 12, 2004 he was involved in a car accident that put him into a coma
. Dennis eventually came out of the coma and made such progress as to astound his doctors. The first sign that he might recover was when he was still supposedly unconscious and was visited by Bengals coach Marvin Lewis
. Dennis' foot was hanging from his hospital bed when Lewis told him to put it back in the bed. Weathersby promptly put it back in his bed. Unfortunately for Weathersby, the Bengals, believing that he would never play football again, cut him before the 2005 season.
Despite his run of bad luck, Dennis is making another attempt at coming back to the NFL. It was reported by ESPN
that doctors cleared him to resume work on May 17, 2006, and that he is eager to get back to playing.
As of March 2008, however, Weathersby decided to recognize the gift of life and health he had been given. He states that he did not want to put himself at risk for a hit that could reverse the damage, as well as his desire to 'follow God's will' and step away from professional football. Dennis states he is currently preparing for his CBEST test (to become a teacher) and has just passed the first set of tests in the application process for the City of Los Angeles Fire Department.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
for the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
.
College career
Weathersby played in college for Oregon State UniversityOregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
. At OSU he started 45 games, and set a school record of 57 passes deflected. He was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team 4 consecutive years.
NFL career
Weathersby was projected to be drafted in the first or second round of the 2003 NFL Draft2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
. However, on April 20, 2003, only three days before the NFL draft, he was shot in the back in an apparent gang-related shooting when he and his friend were mistaken for gang members. Despite the incident, the Bengals still drafted him in the fourth round joining his former Oregon State teammates Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh who were also drafted. He survived and recovered from the shooting, but his injuries took longer than expected to heal and he only played in 4 games his rookie season.
On April 12, 2004 he was involved in a car accident that put him into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. Dennis eventually came out of the coma and made such progress as to astound his doctors. The first sign that he might recover was when he was still supposedly unconscious and was visited by Bengals coach Marvin Lewis
Marvin Lewis
Marvin Ronald Lewis is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League, a position he has held since January 14, 2003...
. Dennis' foot was hanging from his hospital bed when Lewis told him to put it back in the bed. Weathersby promptly put it back in his bed. Unfortunately for Weathersby, the Bengals, believing that he would never play football again, cut him before the 2005 season.
Despite his run of bad luck, Dennis is making another attempt at coming back to the NFL. It was reported by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
that doctors cleared him to resume work on May 17, 2006, and that he is eager to get back to playing.
As of March 2008, however, Weathersby decided to recognize the gift of life and health he had been given. He states that he did not want to put himself at risk for a hit that could reverse the damage, as well as his desire to 'follow God's will' and step away from professional football. Dennis states he is currently preparing for his CBEST test (to become a teacher) and has just passed the first set of tests in the application process for the City of Los Angeles Fire Department.