Lavonya Quintelle "Quincy" Carter (born October 13, 1977 in ) is a former
American footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
quarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the center, in the middle of the offensive line. Quarterbacks are the leaders of the offensive team, responsible for calling the play in the huddle...
. He was drafted in the second round of the
2001 NFL DraftThe 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
by the
Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team that plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . They are headquartered in suburban Irving, Texas, which lies between Fort Worth and Dallas...
. He played
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
at
GeorgiaThe Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 724–384–54...
.
Carter has also been a member of the
New York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the Northeastern New Jersey part of the tri-state New York metropolitan area. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays its home games in East...
,
Montreal AlouettesThe Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current incarnation of the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
,
Bossier-Shreveport Battle WingsThe Bossier Shreveport Battle Wings are an Arena Football 1 team based in Bossier City, Louisiana. They play at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City and represent both Bossier City and Shreveport...
,
Kansas City BrigadeThe Kansas City Brigade are an Arena football team in the Arena Football League. The team was founded before the 2006 season. Former Kansas City Chiefs Strong safety Kevin Porter is the current Head coach....
and Abilene Ruff Riders.
Carter originally signed a football
letter of intentA letter of intent or LOI is a document outlining an agreement between two or more parties before the agreement is finalized. The concept is similar to the so-called heads of agreement...
with
Georgia TechThe Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly called Georgia Tech, Tech, and GT, is a public, coeducational research university in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States...
in 1996, but opted instead to play
minor league baseballMinor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in North America that compete at levels below that of Major League Baseball. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses, and many are members of Minor League Baseball, an umbrella organization for leagues...
after being drafted by the
Chicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago , the Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the...
as an outfielder 52nd overall in the 1996 amateur draft.
With the Gulf Coast Cubs of the rookie league in 1234, Carter played in 55 games and hit .215.
Lavonya Quintelle "Quincy" Carter (born October 13, 1977 in ) is a former
American footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
quarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the center, in the middle of the offensive line. Quarterbacks are the leaders of the offensive team, responsible for calling the play in the huddle...
. He was drafted in the second round of the
2001 NFL DraftThe 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
by the
Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team that plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . They are headquartered in suburban Irving, Texas, which lies between Fort Worth and Dallas...
. He played
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
at
GeorgiaThe Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 724–384–54...
.
Carter has also been a member of the
New York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the Northeastern New Jersey part of the tri-state New York metropolitan area. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays its home games in East...
,
Montreal AlouettesThe Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current incarnation of the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
,
Bossier-Shreveport Battle WingsThe Bossier Shreveport Battle Wings are an Arena Football 1 team based in Bossier City, Louisiana. They play at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City and represent both Bossier City and Shreveport...
,
Kansas City BrigadeThe Kansas City Brigade are an Arena football team in the Arena Football League. The team was founded before the 2006 season. Former Kansas City Chiefs Strong safety Kevin Porter is the current Head coach....
and Abilene Ruff Riders.
Baseball career
Carter originally signed a football
letter of intentA letter of intent or LOI is a document outlining an agreement between two or more parties before the agreement is finalized. The concept is similar to the so-called heads of agreement...
with
Georgia TechThe Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly called Georgia Tech, Tech, and GT, is a public, coeducational research university in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States...
in 1996, but opted instead to play
minor league baseballMinor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in North America that compete at levels below that of Major League Baseball. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses, and many are members of Minor League Baseball, an umbrella organization for leagues...
after being drafted by the
Chicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago , the Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the...
as an outfielder 52nd overall in the 1996 amateur draft.
With the Gulf Coast Cubs of the rookie league in 1234, Carter played in 55 games and hit .215. The following year, he was promoted to the Rockford Cubbies of Single-A and hit .211 in 105 games. He appeared in 28 games for Rockford in 1998, hitting .248 in 27 games. His final year in 1999, he went 0-for-3 in one game for the
Daytona CubsThe Daytona Cubs are a minor league baseball team based in Daytona Beach, Florida. The team plays in the Florida State League, and is the High-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs major league club. The team plays at Jackie Robinson Ballpark; opened in , the park seats 5,100 fans.The team is currently...
of Advanced A ball.
College career
Struggling with his baseball career, Carter went to the
University of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning. Founded in 1785, UGA claims to be the oldest public university in the United States....
in 1998, where he won the job of starting quarterback in a highly contested battle (over future
OklahomaThe Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The Oklahoma Sooners are a perennial powerhouse. As of 2008, ESPN ranked the Oklahoma Sooners as the most prestigious college football program since 1936...
starter,
Nate HyblNate Hybl is a former NFL quarterback. In the NFL, he was part of the Cleveland Browns, and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mostly working on the practice squads. During his time with the Browns, he was allocated for development in NFL Europe...
, among others) and after a good freshman season was recognized as one of the top young quarterbacks in the nation. He had a decent sophomore season but was mediocre as a junior due to injuries and inconsistency.
Dallas Cowboys
Carter declared himself eligible for the
NFL DraftThe NFL Draft is an annual two-day event in which the 32 NFL teams select new players from the NCAA college system. It is the NFL's most common source of player recruitment.-Venue:...
after his junior season and was selected by the
Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team that plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . They are headquartered in suburban Irving, Texas, which lies between Fort Worth and Dallas...
in the second round (53rd overall) of the
2001 NFL DraftThe 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
.
Carter became the starting quarterback for the Cowboys team as a
rookieRookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport and has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
, being part of a succession of short-tenured quarterbacks following the retirement of
Troy AikmanTroy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League, and currently a television sportscaster for the Fox network. He is formerly a joint owner of the NASCAR Sprint Cup racing team, Hall of Fame Racing, along with fellow former...
. The highlight of his rookie season was a 20-13 victory over the
New York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The team plays its home games at Giants Stadium, which also serves as its headquarters, and trains at an adjacent practice facility within the Meadowlands Sports Complex...
in which Carter threw for nearly 200 yards, scrambled for a first down late in the game, and threw the game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Antonio Bryant. Dallas would sign another young quarterback and former baseball player,
Chad HutchinsonChad Martin Hutchinson is a retired National Football League quarterback and Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL and the St. Louis Cardinals of the MLB...
, following Carter's rookie season. He lost the starting job during his second season to Hutchinson after a loss to the
Arizona CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American Football team based in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals are members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Cardinals were founded in 1898, and are the oldest continuously run professional...
in which he engaged in a heated sideline "discussion" with Cowboys owner and
general managerGeneral manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
Jerry JonesJerral "Jerry" Jones is the owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys NFL franchise and the Dallas Desperados Arena Football League franchise.-Early life:...
. However, in his third season, under newly-hired head coach
Bill ParcellsBill Parcells is the current Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He is also a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2007...
, Carter retook the starting role and led the Cowboys to a 10-6 record and a playoff appearance. Hutchinson was released the next season after playing in NFL Europe.
Carter was released on August 4, 2004 in the offseason under unclear circumstances. The group of quarterbacks for the Cowboys that offseason had expanded with the trade for yet another former baseball player,
Drew HensonDrew Daniel Henson is a former professional baseball player and current American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, and the acquisition of
Vinny TestaverdeVincent Frank Testaverde is a former American football quarterback who last played for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. Testaverde has previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, and the New England Patriots...
off of waivers. Before Carter's release, it had been projected that he had a slight edge over Testaverde for the starting role and that former third-string quarterback,
Tony RomoAntonio Ramiro Romo is an American football quarterback. He currently plays for the Dallas Cowboys.-Early years:...
, would be released. Many believe Carter was released because of a failed drug test, and Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said that for reasons including but not limited to his drug problems Carter could not be trusted with the leadership of the team. The official Cowboys statement regarding his release was a failed drug test, a poor attitude over the signing of Testaverde, and an average performance during the first week of training camp.
Played for the cowboys as number 17.
New York Jets
After being released by the Cowboys, Carter was signed a one-year contract with the
New York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the Northeastern New Jersey part of the tri-state New York metropolitan area. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays its home games in East...
where he served as a backup to
Chad PenningtonJames Chadwick "Chad" Pennington is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round, as the eighteenth overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft....
and started three games (winning two) after Pennington injured his
rotator cuffIn anatomy, the rotator cuff is the group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. The four muscles of the rotator cuff, along with the teres major and the deltoid, make up the six scapulohumeral muscles of the human body.-Function:The rotator cuff muscles are...
. He suffered a drug relapse during the
2004The 2004 New York Jets season saw the team try to improve on its 6-10 2003 record. The Jets started the season by winning their first five games, which was a franchise record. They ultimately finished 10-6, and clinched the fifth seed in the playoffs, reaching the postseason for the third time in...
playoffs and has since received treatment for drug addiction and
bipolar disorderBipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive disorder, manic depression or bipolar affective disorder, is a serious mental disorder that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood clinically referred to as mania or, if...
in
HoustonHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and the largest city within the state of Texas. As of the 2008 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2 million within an area of 600 square miles . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of...
. The Jets released him during the 2005 offseason.
Carter's release by the Cowboys is currently subject to an arbitration hearing by the NFLPA. He officially filed his retirement papers in September 2005 but has stated he intends to return to the NFL.
Montreal Alouettes
On April 4, 2006, Carter was signed by the
Montreal AlouettesThe Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current incarnation of the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
of the
Canadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located entirely in Canada.Its eight teams, which are located in eight cities, are divided into two divisions of four teams each . The league's nineteen-week regular season runs from mid-June to early November. Each team plays...
to a one year contract with an option for 2007 only to be released by the team the following month. On the subject of being released, Carter remarked,
"This is a joke... an insult." One CFL club official told the
Montreal Gazette that Carter has "a serious
marijuanaCannabisalso known as marijuana or marihuana, and ganja , among many other namesrefers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug...
problem."
On December 15, [2006 Carter was arrested in
Irving, TexasIrving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 191,615; the 2006 estimate was 201,927 according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and 196,084 according to the U.S. Census Bureau...
on possession of marijuana charges. He was released in lieu of a
$The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
500 bond paid by Dallas-Fort Worth area sports talk-show host and journalist,
Randy GallowayGeorge Randolph "Randy" Galloway is the host of Galloway and Company, the drive-time program on KESN 103.3 FM, ESPN Radio's Dallas affiliate and also heard on ESPN Xtra on XM Radio. He is also a sports columnist for the Ft...
.
Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings
In February 2007, Carter signed with the
Bossier-Shreveport Battle WingsThe Bossier Shreveport Battle Wings are an Arena Football 1 team based in Bossier City, Louisiana. They play at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City and represent both Bossier City and Shreveport...
, of
af2AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...
. Through the first three games of the 2007 season, he was the third rated passer, with a rating of 124.3, throwing 18 touchdown passes, but he was suspended indefinitely from the team in late May for missing team meetings. Rumors swirled that he had quit the team, but Battle Wings coach Jon Norris named Carter the starting quarterback for their June 16 game against the
Corpus Christi SharksThe Corpus Christi Sharks were a 2007 expansion member of the af2. They played their home games at the American Bank Center. Michael Trigg was the team's head coach. Trigg previously was a head coach in the Arena Football League with the Milwaukee Mustangs, Grand Rapids Rampage and Philadelphia...
. He passed for a franchise-record eight touchdown in the Battle Wings' 81-35 win.
Carter was arrested on possession charges by Shreveport police on October 12, 2007. Because the incident marked the second time he was arrested for the same crime, the charge was a felony. He was released on his 30th birthday, on a bond of $5,224, according to an official in the records department at the Caddo Correctional Facility.
Kansas City Brigade
On June 2, Carter signed with the
Arena Football LeagueThe Arena Football League was founded in 1987 as an indoor American football by Jim Foster. It was played indoors on a smaller field than American football, resulting in a faster-paced and higher-scoring game...
's
Kansas City BrigadeThe Kansas City Brigade are an Arena football team in the Arena Football League. The team was founded before the 2006 season. Former Kansas City Chiefs Strong safety Kevin Porter is the current Head coach....
. The Brigade, who had one victory at the time of the signing, were hoping Carter's strong arm could resurrect their season.
Herman EdwardsHerman "Herm" Edwards, Jr. is an American football analyst who most recently coached in the National Football League. He held the head coaching position of the Kansas City Chiefs until 2008. He was fired from this position on January 23, 2009. Since then, he has been hired as a football analyst...
, the former
Kansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
head coach who coached Carter while with the Jets, commented on Carter's personality calling him of "good character." Carter started the last three games of the season for Kansas City and was signed to a two-year contract extension.
On July 31, 2008 Carter had a workout with the
Miami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a professional football team based in the Miami, Florida metropolitan area. They play home games at Land Shark Stadium, in the suburb of Miami Gardens. They are headquartered at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility in Davie, Florida. The Dolphins belong to the Eastern...
. However, he was not signed. On October 20, 2008 he was released by the Brigade.
Abilene Ruff Riders
Carter signed a one-year contract with the Abilene Ruff Riders of the new
Indoor Football LeagueThe Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...
in March 2009. On May 10, 2009, he was arrested by
AbileneAbilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in the central part of the U.S. state of Texas. The population is about 120,000 in 2008. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
police for an outstanding warrant, related to a
DWIDWI is an acronym which means:* Driving while intoxicated, see Driving under the influence* Driving while impaired* Driving Without Insurance* Dance With Intensity * Danish West Indies* Diffusion-weighted imaging* Direct water injection...
arrest in south Texas and subsequent probation violation. Carter was arrested again on June 18, 2009, for failing to pay his bondsman after his May 10 arrest. Returning from injury, Carter no-showed for the July 4th game and was subsequently cut from the team.