Jerramy Stevens
Encyclopedia
Jerramy Stevens is an American football
tight end
who is currently a free agent
. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks
28th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Washington
.
During his senior year, he and another student were accused of beating a schoolmate over his head with a baseball bat and stomping on his face. The victim suffered a broken jaw and ate with a straw for six months. Stevens was charged with felony assault, but Thurston County prosecutors lowered the charges to assault in the fourth degree when they learned he did not use the bat. Despite Stevens having repeatedly violated the terms of his home confinement while awaiting trial, Stevens pled guilty in open court to assault in the fourth degree, while the other student pled guilty to the felony assault with the bat.
as their first-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft
; he was the 28th player taken overall. Seattle traded its first-round (No. 20) and fifth-round (No. 156) choices to Green Bay for the Packers' first-round (No. 28) and second-round (No. 60) choices. Green Bay used the picks to select Javon Walker
and Aaron Kampman
.
Before Super Bowl XL
, Stevens said in a February 2, 2006 interview, "The story of Jerome Bettis
returning to his hometown (Detroit) is heartwarming, but it's going be a sad day when he doesn't walk away with that trophy
." This drew the ire of Pittsburgh Steelers
linebacker
Joey Porter
who in reaction to the statement said, "A guy running in and out on special teams shouldn't be sayin' things like that." On February 5, 2006 Stevens caught 3 passes for 25 yards in Super Bowl XL
. Among his catches was Seattle's first-ever (and only) Super Bowl touchdown. However, he also dropped three key passes in the Seahawks'
21-10 loss to the Steelers
.
On November 6, 2006 in a game against the Oakland Raiders
, Stevens was kneed in the groin by Raiders defensive end
Tyler Brayton
, who was then ejected from the game. Neither player was suspended, but Brayton was fined $25,000 by the NFL for the incident, and Stevens was fined $15,000 for his involvement, as well as an earlier taunting incident.
Art Shell
, the Raiders coach, said in an interview that Stevens was the instigator, and had tried to knee Brayton earlier. However Mike Holmgren
, the Seahawks coach, responded by saying that Stevens was not attempting to strike Brayton, but was struggling for leverage which caused his leg to flare out.
On March 20, 2007, Seattle general manager Tim Ruskell
confirmed that Stevens' days with the Seahawks were done. "I would say it's probably a time for a change of scenery and to move on," Ruskell said. This move was widely expected, as only hours after Stevens' arrest on March 13, the Seahawks signed veteran Marcus Pollard
, giving them four tight ends.
, a four-yard reception late in the fourth quarter which proved to be the game-winner.
On May 30, 2008, Stevens was re-signed by the Buccaneers after the team waived quarterback Bruce Gradkowski
.
On June 4, 2008, he was suspended for two games and fined three game checks after violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
On October 23, 2010, he was arrested for possession of cannabis with intent to sell. On October 25, he was released by Tampa Bay.
Despite these suspicions, the King County prosecutor declined to file rape charges against Stevens due to "confusing and conflicting statements".
A civil suit, which resulted in a settlement, was later filed by the victim. The civil settlement was not publicly disclosed, but according to published reports included a $300,000 payment by Stevens to the plaintiff. The investigation and aftermath of this incident and the subsequent decision to not charge Stevens were reported by the Seattle Times.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
28th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 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 took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
.
Early years
Stevens attended River Ridge High School and was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. In football, Stevens originally played quarterback. He passed for 5,000 yards during his high school career, including throwing for 2,000 yards as a junior. As a senior he earned first-team All-Narrows League and was named to The Olympian's All-Area team as a safety.During his senior year, he and another student were accused of beating a schoolmate over his head with a baseball bat and stomping on his face. The victim suffered a broken jaw and ate with a straw for six months. Stevens was charged with felony assault, but Thurston County prosecutors lowered the charges to assault in the fourth degree when they learned he did not use the bat. Despite Stevens having repeatedly violated the terms of his home confinement while awaiting trial, Stevens pled guilty in open court to assault in the fourth degree, while the other student pled guilty to the felony assault with the bat.
Seattle Seahawks
Stevens was selected by his hometown Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
as their first-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 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 took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
; he was the 28th player taken overall. Seattle traded its first-round (No. 20) and fifth-round (No. 156) choices to Green Bay for the Packers' first-round (No. 28) and second-round (No. 60) choices. Green Bay used the picks to select Javon Walker
Javon Walker
Javon Lataff Walker is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 20th overall of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
and Aaron Kampman
Aaron Kampman
Aaron Allan Kampman is an American football defensive end and linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa....
.
Before Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
, Stevens said in a February 2, 2006 interview, "The story of Jerome Bettis
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
returning to his hometown (Detroit) is heartwarming, but it's going be a sad day when he doesn't walk away with that trophy
Vince Lombardi Trophy
The Vince Lombardi Trophy is the trophy awarded each year to the winning team of the National Football League's championship game, the Super Bowl.-History:...
." This drew the ire of Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Joey Porter
Joey Porter
Joseph "Joey" Eugene Porter is an American football linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Colorado State.A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Porter earned a...
who in reaction to the statement said, "A guy running in and out on special teams shouldn't be sayin' things like that." On February 5, 2006 Stevens caught 3 passes for 25 yards in Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
. Among his catches was Seattle's first-ever (and only) Super Bowl touchdown. However, he also dropped three key passes in the Seahawks'
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
21-10 loss to the Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
.
On November 6, 2006 in a game against the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Stevens was kneed in the groin by Raiders defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
Tyler Brayton
Tyler Brayton
Tyler Brayton is an American football defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders 32nd overall in the 2003 NFL Draft...
, who was then ejected from the game. Neither player was suspended, but Brayton was fined $25,000 by the NFL for the incident, and Stevens was fined $15,000 for his involvement, as well as an earlier taunting incident.
Art Shell
Art Shell
Arthur "Art" Shell is an American former collegiate and professional football player in the American Football League and later in the NFL, a Hall of Fame offensive tackle, and a two-time former head coach of the Oakland Raiders...
, the Raiders coach, said in an interview that Stevens was the instigator, and had tried to knee Brayton earlier. However Mike Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
, the Seahawks coach, responded by saying that Stevens was not attempting to strike Brayton, but was struggling for leverage which caused his leg to flare out.
On March 20, 2007, Seattle general manager Tim Ruskell
Tim Ruskell
Tim Ruskell is a current assistant general manager for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League.Ruskell was born in Sagamiono, Japan where his father was stationed in the United States Army but spent his high school and college years in the Tampa Bay, Florida area and graduated with a...
confirmed that Stevens' days with the Seahawks were done. "I would say it's probably a time for a change of scenery and to move on," Ruskell said. This move was widely expected, as only hours after Stevens' arrest on March 13, the Seahawks signed veteran Marcus Pollard
Marcus Pollard
Marcus LaJuan Pollard is a former American football tight end.-College career:Pollard attended Bradley University, where he played basketball. Bradley did not have a football program at the time he matriculated there...
, giving them four tight ends.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On April 29, 2007 he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He caught his first touchdown pass as a Buccaneer in Week 13 of the 2007 season against the New Orleans SaintsNew Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, a four-yard reception late in the fourth quarter which proved to be the game-winner.
On May 30, 2008, Stevens was re-signed by the Buccaneers after the team waived quarterback Bruce Gradkowski
Bruce Gradkowski
Bruce Raymond Gradkowski is an American Football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Toledo.Gradkowski has previously been a member of the Tampa...
.
On June 4, 2008, he was suspended for two games and fined three game checks after violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
On October 23, 2010, he was arrested for possession of cannabis with intent to sell. On October 25, he was released by Tampa Bay.
Legal troubles
- On June 2, 1998, Stevens was arrested on charges of second-degree assault armed with a deadly weapon and fourth-degree assault. According to a police report, Stevens and a friend engaged in a fight with a 17-year-old and witnesses said Stevens stomped on the man's face. Stevens agreed to a plea deal of a charge of misdemeanor assault.
- On July 10, 1998, Stevens tested positive for marijuana and served a day in jail.
- On July 27, 2000, Stevens was arrested for the sexual assault of a 19-year-old University of Washington freshman. Stevens initially denied having sex with the accuser, but later admitted to having sex with her in the yard of a fraternity house in the early morning hours of June 4, 2000, after a fraternity party, but maintained it was consensual. However, a UW student who walked by and witnessed them having sex called 911 to report it as a possible rape, noting that the woman appeared to be drugged; he described her as "half passed out ... eyes glazed ... no one home." Stevens's semen was found in the victim, who was penetrated vaginally and anally, and numerous witnesses testified that she acted as if drugged at the party. Police suspected a date rape drugDate rape drugA date rape drug is any drug that can be used to assist in the execution of a sexual assault, such as date rape. Drugs used to facilitate rape may have sedative, hypnotic, dissociative, and/or amnesiac effects, and can be added to a food or drink without the victim's knowledge.The act of adding...
was given to the woman at the party, but blood samples were taken too late for testing.
Despite these suspicions, the King County prosecutor declined to file rape charges against Stevens due to "confusing and conflicting statements".
A civil suit, which resulted in a settlement, was later filed by the victim. The civil settlement was not publicly disclosed, but according to published reports included a $300,000 payment by Stevens to the plaintiff. The investigation and aftermath of this incident and the subsequent decision to not charge Stevens were reported by the Seattle Times.
- On May 4, 2001, Stevens was cited for reckless driving and hit and run after crashing into a nursing home. Stevens pleaded guilty to hit-and-run and causing property damage and was sentenced to 240 hours of community service.
- On April 3, 2003, Stevens was stopped by Medina, WashingtonMedina, WashingtonMedina is a city located in the Eastside, a region of King County, Washington, United States. Surrounded on the north, west, and south by Lake Washington, opposite Seattle, Medina is bordered by Clyde Hill and Hunts Point, as well as the satellite city of Bellevue. The city's population was 2,969...
police and was charged with reckless driving and driving while intoxicated. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was fined $1,000 and was sentenced to two days in jail because the judge ruled Stevens violated his probation from the hit-and-run case.
- On March 13, 2007, Stevens was arrested in Scottsdale, ArizonaScottsdale, ArizonaScottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
for suspicion of DUI after his blood alcohol contentBlood alcohol contentBlood alcohol content , also called blood alcohol concentration, blood ethanol concentration, or blood alcohol level is most commonly used as a metric of alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes....
was measured at 0.204, over twice the legal limit of .08 and considered "extreme DUI" in Arizona. He was later found guilty in a court trial, and was subsequently sentenced to 12 days in jail and fined $3,160. This sentence was later decreased to 10 days by a Scottsdale city judge.
- On March 20, 2007, the Seattle Times reported that multiple complaints were raised against Stevens by other residents in his condominium complex. The complaints included vomit on their doors, used condoms on the back porch, loud parties at all hours of the night, and various noise complaints.
- On October 23, 2010, Stevens was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana. Stevens had been pulled over for playing loud music, when the officer smelled marijuana, and discovered 38 grams of it in his car.
- On March 3, 2011, Stevens was arrested and charged with felony battery for punching two bouncers in a Tampa, Florida bar. According to his attorney, who denied the charges, after Stevens was released from jail, he was treated for "multiple broken ribs and extensive bruising to his body and face, sort of like one of his victims."