Pro Football Historian (PFH) is a blog page written by Flint Given. Pro Football Historian or PFH is a page to inform people on prior NFL events that people might not know about. Learning about teams from the 1920s or even the first few NFL World Championships in the 1930s fascinates me. It's these kinds of events that I want to discuss in this blog. Hopefully you are interested and will continue to check up on my blogs.
Curtis James Martin Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League for 11 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Martin spent his first NFL three seasons with the New England Patriots, who selected him in the third round of the 1995 NFL draft, and was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Martin joined the Jets in 1998, where he spent eight seasons before retiring after spending the 2006 season rehabbing an injury. A five-time Pro Bowl selection and a first-team All-Pro, Martin is sixth in total NFL rushing yards. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012. Martin is often regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time.
The Patriots lost three running backs to free agency upon the conclusion of the 1994 season and sought to fortify their backfield. One running back, Kevin Turner, was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as a restricted free agent and Philadelphia sent a third round selection to New England. The Patriots used the selection to draft Martin in the 1995 NFL draft despite concerns about his durability. Martin signed a contract with the team on July 19, 1995, and made his NFL debut in the Patriots' week one win over the Cleveland Browns. Martin ran for 30 yards on his first carry and finished with 102 yards for the day. He became the first Patriots rookie to rush for 100 yards during their debut. Martin continued his impressive streak and rushed for over 100 yards eight more times during the season. He finished the season as the AFC's leading rusher with 1,487 yards and 14 touchdowns. He won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and was named to the Pro Bowl.
The following year, Martin only rushed for 100 yards twice during the season but recorded 1,152 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. In the playoffs, Martin, playing in his first career playoff game, served as a key player in the Patriots' Divisional Playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He rushed for a then franchise-record 166 yards and three touchdowns including a 78-yard touchdown, the second-longest touchdown run in playoff history at the time. The Patriots went on to play in Super Bowl XXXI, but lost to the Green Bay Packers. Martin rushed for 42 yards, caught three passes for 28 yards, and scored a touchdown in the game. It was at this game that a young Adrian Peterson fell in love with his hero Curtis Martin and vowed to wear the number 28 in his honor. Martin was again named to the Pro Bowl.
After the 1997 season, Martin became a restricted free agent. On the first day of the free agency period Martin's agent, Eugene Parker, contacted the New York Jets to gauge their interest in potentially signing the running back. Negotiations ensued between Parker and Jets head coach and general manager Bill Parcells (who had left New England not long before) and an offer sheet was formulated. Though Martin had reservations about playing in New York and particularly for a division rival, the presence of his former coach Parcells influenced his decision to ultimately join the Jets. On March 20, 1998, Martin signed a six-year, $36-million poison pill contract. The "poison pill" was a clause in the contract that stated Martin would become an unrestricted free agent after one year if the Patriots matched the offer and it would have forced New England to pay a $3.3 million roster bonus that would have compromised their salary cap. Under these conditions, the Patriots did not match the offer; however, they received the Jets' first and third round selections in the 1998 NFL draft as compensation after filing a complaint with the NFL management council, claiming the offer sheet violated the terms of the league's collective bargaining agreement at the time.
In his first seven seasons with the Jets, Martin missed only one game and was selected to the Pro Bowl three times. In 1998, Martin gained 182 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a Jets playoff win. In 2004, Martin rushed for a season-high 196 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in the team's home opener, and would rush for over 100 yards eight more times that season, finishing with 1,697 yards. Martin won the NFL rushing title by one more yard than runner-up Shaun Alexander and became the oldest player, at age 31, in league history to win the rushing title. Martin was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Year and named an All-Pro and elected to his fifth and final Pro Bowl.
With the retirement of Emmitt Smith after 2004, Martin entered 2005 as the active leader in career rushing yards. In 2005, Martin suffered what was deemed as a strained right knee injury in the Jets' second game of the season against the Miami Dolphins, when he was tackled by linebacker Zach Thomas. An MRI of the knee was negative and Martin continued to play through the season despite a noticeable drop-off in production, having only rushed for 100 or more yards once the entire season. On November 27, 2005, Martin joined Barry Sanders, Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith as the only running backs to rush for 14,000 yards in their career. By December, the severity of the knee injury began to increase and Martin, despite wanting to become the second player (after Smith) to rush for 1,000 yards in 11 straight seasons, elected to have season-ending surgery, finishing with 735 yards on the season. Martin began 2006 on the Physically Unable to Perform list as the post-operation recovery period took longer than expected though the surgery was considered minimally invasive. By November 2006, despite months of rehabilitation, Martin was declared out for the season with a bone-on-bone condition in his right knee. After re-negotiating his contract to help provide more salary cap room for the Jets, Martin announced his retirement in July 2007 thus ending his career having amassed 14,101 total rushing yards, the fifth highest total in NFL history.
Following his retirement, Martin expressed interest in becoming the owner of an NFL franchise. He continued to involve himself in various charity work including through the Curtis Martin Job Foundation, established by Martin during his playing career, designed to provide "financial aid and hands-on support to single mothers, children's charities, individuals with disabilities and low income housing providers".
Martin was considered for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2011; however, he was not selected. Martin was again a leading candidate for selection in 2012 alongside former head coach and mentor Bill Parcells. He was selected for induction on February 4, 2012, and formally inducted on August 4, 2012. Martin's speech, which he conducted without notes, was widely praised by critics for its sincerity.
The Jets retired Martin's No. 28 jersey in a halftime ceremony at New York's season-opening game against the Buffalo Bills on September 9, 2012.
On November 11, 2013, Martin was added to the Miami Dolphins' five-man committee to develop the conduct code by owner Stephen M. Ross following a locker room hazing incident involving Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin.
In 1998, on Father's Day, Martin and his mother Rochella began a long reconciliation process with his father, Curtis Sr., by renting a new, furnished condominium for his father, who had left the family due to his addictions to cocaine and alcohol. In 1990, Curtis Sr. checked into a veteran's hospital for two weeks followed by a six-month stay at a rehabilitation center and was able to remain sober until his death from cancer, in June 2009 at age 58. The family members made peace with each other in the final weeks of the elder Martin's life.
Martin married his longtime girlfriend Carolina Williams in a ceremony held at Oheka Castle in Huntington, Long Island in 2010. On December 15, 2011, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Ava.
Martin is a Christian. He became a Christian when he was 20 years old. He wore the number 28 because of Deuteronomy 28.
Cortez Kennedy was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle for his entire 11-season career with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012. He redefined and expanded the possibilities of how a large-bodied interior lineman could be used. In 1992, he won the Defensive Player of the Year award despite his team finishing 2–14.
Kennedy played collegiate football for the Miami Hurricanes at the University of Miami.
He was the third overall selection in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft by the Seahawks. He was unsigned until two days before the beginning of the season. Kennedy was named to the Pro Bowl in 1991. In 1992, having recorded 14 quarterback sacks, he received the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press despite the Seahawks' 2–14 record. He switched his jersey number to 99 that season in honor of close friend Jerome Brown, and was named First- or Second-team All-Pro five times.
Kennedy retired after the 2000 season. In 167 games with Seattle, he recorded 668 tackles, 58 sacks, and three interceptions. He announced his retirement in August 2002 after sitting out the 2001 season. He was given several offers by other teams, but wanted to finish his career in Seattle. He is generally considered one of the best defensive tackles to ever play the position in the NFL. He was a semi-finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008, as well as a finalist in 2009 and 2011, eventually being elected to the Hall as a member of the 2012 induction class. He was the second Hall of Famer to earn his credentials primarily as a Seahawk.
After retiring, Kennedy worked as an advisor for the New Orleans Saints, whose general manager, Mickey Loomis, had previously worked for the Seahawks. Kennedy later moved to Arkansas and Orlando, Florida, where he raised his daughter Courtney and focused on her education.
In 2006, Kennedy was inducted into the Seahawks' Ring of Honor. His jersey number, 96, was retired by the Seahawks during a game against the New England Patriots on October 14, 2012.
In 2007, Kennedy was named the best athlete ever to wear the number 96 by SI.com.
Kennedy died on May 23, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. He was 48 years old. According to police, Kennedy was alone when he died. In the days leading up to his death, Kennedy had experienced symptoms of heart failure, including swollen legs and dizziness, which led to his hospitalization. Following his death, Wilson, Arkansas named a stretch of U.S. Highway 61 in his honor.
Christopher John Doleman was an American professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League. He spent the majority of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, and also played for the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers. Doleman was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and a twice first-team All-Pro, recording 150.5 career sacks. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2012.
Doleman was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round (4th overall) of the 1985 NFL draft. He began his NFL career as an outside linebacker (OLB) in the Vikings' 3–4 defense, but for the 1987 season (Doleman's third season) the team decided to switch to a 4–3 defense, which resulted in him being moved from his spot at OLB up to the defensive line to play as a defensive end. The move paid off for Doleman, who recorded 21 sacks in the 1989 season, the highest total recorded that season and the fourth-highest total ever. The 21 sacks in a single season was a Vikings record until Jared Allen recorded 22 sacks in 2011. Doleman later played for the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers before returning to the Vikings in 1999 for his final season.
He retired as the fourth-ranked sack leader of all-time with 150.5 sacks and was tied for third in the NFL Record Book with eight seasons in which he recorded 10 or more sacks. Aside from leading the Vikings in sacks six times, Doleman was also the Falcons' leading sacker in 1995 and led the 49ers with 15 sacks in 1998. He also intercepted eight passes, two of which he returned for touchdowns; recorded two safeties; and scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery during his career.
Doleman was extremely durable as evidenced by him missing a mere two games due to injury during his 15-season, 232-game NFL career. In all, he was named to eight Pro Bowls, six with the Vikings and once each as a member of the Falcons and the 49ers. He was named first-team All-Pro in 1987, 1989, and 1992 and first-team All-NFC four times. Doleman is a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s.
In 2012, Doleman was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On January 25, 2018, Doleman had brain surgery for a condition which was later diagnosed as glioblastoma.[14] On January 28, 2020, Doleman died from the disease at the age of 58. He was honored prior to kickoff at Super Bowl LIV five days later.
Dermontti Farra Dawson is an American former professional football player who was a center and long snapper in the National Football League. He played college football with the Kentucky Wildcats. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 1988 NFL draft and spent his entire pro career with the team and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
Dawson was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 1988 NFL draft. In his rookie season he played guard alongside Hall of Fame center Mike Webster. When Webster left the team following that season, Dawson succeeded him as the starting center. He soon became one of the more respected players among the Steelers, and one of the best in the league at his position. He earned the name "Dirt" for the way he would try to grind defenders into the ground. In contrast, his friendly off-field demeanor led to a second nickname, Ned Flanders, after the annoyingly cheerful character from The Simpsons.
"To me he was the best athlete to ever play that position. He was very powerful and explosive, just a rare combination of quickness, explosion, and he was a very dependable player. This guy hardly ever missed a game. He redefined the position."— former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher
Dawson was named to seven consecutive Pro Bowls from 1992 to 1998 and was a six-time AP First-team All-Pro. In 1993, he was named co-AFC Offensive Lineman of the Year by the NFLPA and in 1996 he was named the NFL Alumni's Offensive Lineman of the Year. He played in 170 consecutive games, the second-most in Steelers history, until severe hamstring injuries forced him to sit out nine games in 1999 and seven more games in 2000. Dawson was released by the Steelers following the 2000 season partly due to these injuries and partly due to salary cap reasons. He opted to retire rather than trying to play for another team.
"He was one of the best players that we have ever played against at that position. He had exceptional quickness; I think that really the measure of a center is his ability to play against powerful guys that are lined up over him and try to bull-rush the pocket and collapse it in the middle so that the quarterback can't step up. Dawson had great leverage and quickness with his hands and his feet where he did a great job of keeping that pocket clean for [Neil] O'Donnell and those guys who played behind him."— New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in 2008. Belichick coached the Browns in the early 1990s.
He is the only player to have played in the two most lopsided games in the Browns–Steelers rivalry, getting his first career start at center in the Steelers' 51–0 loss to the Cleveland Browns at home (still the worst loss for the Steelers in franchise history), but was victorious in the Steelers 43–0 win against the Browns in Cleveland ten years later, in the Browns' first game in four years.
Dawson is divorced from Regina – who served as an elementary school principal at Shearer Elementary in nearby Winchester, Kentucky – and has two children. He returned to Lexington after his retirement, where he spent several years as a real estate developer. He filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in 2010 listing over $69 million in liabilities against just under $1.5 million in assets. He currently resides in San Diego, California, where he is a sales executive for a promotional products company.
Dawson served an internship in the Steelers scouting department in 2009 and served as an intern coach with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010. He is also a part owner of the Washington Wild Things, an independent league baseball team in Washington, Pennsylvania.
Dawson was named the first-team center on the National Football League 1990s All-Decade Team. In 2007, he was selected for the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team which was named as part of the franchise's 75th season celebration. The Steelers have not reissued Dawson's #63 Jersey since his retirement, though it has not been formally retired. His election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012 was preceded by three consecutive times of being a finalist listed for the honor.
In 2001 Dawson and his wife established the Dermontti F. and Regina M. Dawson Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Education scholarship at his alma mater, the University of Kentucky (UK). Dawson was appointed to the school's board of trustees by Kentucky governor Ernie Fletcher in 2005. He is a member of UK's College of Education's "Alumni Hall of Fame" and the UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni as well as a charter member of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame. In addition, his jersey has been retired by the school.
John Bradshaw Butler was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. In 2012, he was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Butler was an undrafted free agent whom the Pittsburgh Steelers brought onto their roster in 1951 based on a recommendation that Art Rooney Sr. received from his brother Silas Rooney, who was a priest serving as athletic director at St. Bonaventure University. Butler would become a defensive back and occasional wide receiver for the Steelers.
As a rookie, Butler intercepted five passes for 142 yards. In 1953, he had nine interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns. Four interceptions came in a game against the Washington Redskins on December 13, 1953. One of the interceptions resulted in a 35-yard return for a touchdown to win the game for the Steelers 14–13. The following year Butler set a record with two interception returns for touchdowns. In 1957, he led the league in interceptions with a career-best 10.
Offensively, Butler scored a touchdown against the New York Giants. It was late in the game and Butler had caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Jim Finks.
In 1958, Butler added nine more interceptions to his growing list. During the 1959 season after garnering two interceptions, Butler was forced to retire due to a leg injury he received when tight end Pete Retzlaff of the Philadelphia Eagles rolled into Butler's knee.
Butler never made more than around $12,000 as a player with the Steelers. Following his playing career, Butler spent 46 years with the BLESTO Scouting Combine (44 as its director). During this time, his contributions to the NFL included scouting and evaluating over 75,000 college athletes and starting the Combine scouting process that is still in use today.
Butler was named to four straight Pro Bowls from 1955 to 1958. He had 52 interceptions during his career and 865 yards. At the time of his retirement in 1959, Jack tied for first with Safety Bobby Dillon in career interceptions, garnering 52 in his 9-year career.
In 2004, he was named to the Professional Football Researchers Association Hall of Very Good in the association's second HOVG class.
In October 2008, Butler was named as one of the 33 Greatest Pittsburgh Steelers of all time. The Steelers named players to this team as part of their 75th anniversary season celebration. He was named to the National Football League 1950s All-Decade Team.
He was named as a senior nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for 2012 and was elected as a member on February 4, 2012.
Butler died at UPMC Shadyside in Pittsburgh on May 11, 2013. He was admitted for a staph infection around his artificial knee, a problem that almost killed him in 1959 and recurred every five to seven years since.
Shannon Sharpe is an American former professional football tight end who played 14 seasons in the National Football League, primarily with the Denver Broncos. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he ranks third in tight end receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He was also the first NFL tight end to amass over 10,000 receiving yards. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Sharpe played college football for the Savannah State Tigers and was selected by the Broncos in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL draft. During his 12 non-consecutive seasons with Denver, he was selected to seven consecutive Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pros, and won two consecutive Super Bowl titles. In between his Broncos tenures, Sharpe was a member of Baltimore Ravens for two seasons, with whom he received an eighth Pro Bowl selection and won a third Super Bowl title. Sharpe retired as the NFL leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns by a tight end. Following his retirement, Sharpe appeared as an analyst for The NFL Today on CBS Sports and co-hosted Skip and Shannon: Undisputed on Fox Sports 1 with Skip Bayless from 2016 to 2023. In the 2020s, Sharpe also became a prominent figure in the sports podcast space, hosting Club Shay Shay and Nightcap.
Despite his stellar college career, Sharpe was not considered a highly rated prospect in the 1990 NFL draft. In addition to playing Division II college football, Sharpe's size—6 ft 2 inches, 230 pounds—was considered too large for a receiver and too small for a tight end. He was eventually selected in the seventh round with the 192nd pick by the Denver Broncos. After two mediocre seasons as a receiver in which he caught just 29 passes, Denver converted him to a tight end. This quickly paid off, as Sharpe caught 53 passes in his third season. He remained with Denver until 1999, winning two championship rings at Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII in the process. After a two-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens, where he won another championship ring at Super Bowl XXXV, he returned to the Broncos. He played there until 2003. From there, he retired to become an NFL analyst for CBS.
Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens' general manager, said of Sharpe during his career: "I think he's a threat when he's on the field. He has to be double-teamed. He's a great route-runner. He's proven that he can make the big plays. That's what separates him. He's a threat." Sharpe was selected to the All-Pro Team four times, played in eight Pro Bowls (1992–1998, 2001) and amassed over 1,000 receiving yards in three different seasons. In a 1993 playoff game against the Los Angeles Raiders, Sharpe tied a postseason record with 13 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown. In the Ravens' 2000 AFC title game against the Oakland Raiders, he caught a short pass on third down and 18 from his own four-yard line and took it 96 yards for a touchdown, the only touchdown the Ravens scored, en route to a 16–3 Ravens win; as of 2025, this remains the Ravens' longest offensive play in team history. Sharpe also caught a 50 plus yard pass in each of their other two playoff games. He finished his 14-year career with 815 receptions for 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns in 203 games.
Sharpe was among the 17 finalists being considered for enshrinement at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. However, he was passed over in his first year in a class that included Bruce Smith, Ralph Wilson, Derrick Thomas and Rod Woodson.
On November 28, 2010, Sharpe was nominated as a semi-finalist for induction into the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame, along with Art Modell and 24 others, among them Jerome Bettis, Roger Craig, Marshall Faulk, and Deion Sanders. Subsequently, on February 6, 2011, Shannon Sharpe was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Sharpe was a commentator for the CBS Sports pregame show The NFL Today, including the Sprint Halftime Report and the Subway Postgame Show, replacing Deion Sanders and co-hosting with James Brown (formerly with Fox NFL Sunday), former NFL quarterbacks Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason, as well as former coach Bill Cowher. In the 2004 NFL regular season, Sharpe defeated Marino and Esiason in the pick 'em game of The NFL Today with a 53–21 record. On February 18, 2014, it was announced that Sharpe, along with Dan Marino, were being relieved of their duties as on-air commentators on The NFL Today and were being replaced by Tony Gonzalez and Bart Scott.
In 2013, Sharpe became a columnist and spokesperson for FitnessRX For Men magazine and appeared on their September 2013 cover.[citation needed] Sharpe has hosted Sirius NFL Radio's Opening Drive morning program, alongside Bob Papa.
After his retirement, Sharpe has been a social media staple, going viral for his antics and sports commentary. He is also notably a huge supporter of NBA player LeBron James, referring to him as the greatest basketball player in NBA history. He also appeared on the American Dad! episode "The Scarlett Getter", portraying himself.
Sharpe joined Skip Bayless in FS1's sports debate show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed which premiered on September 6, 2016. In addition to his defense of LeBron James, Sharpe was also known for his criticism of Tom Brady and the Dallas Cowboys on the show. On May 31, 2023, it was announced that Sharpe would soon leave Undisputed after reaching a buyout agreement with Fox Sports. On June 13, Sharpe co-hosted his last episode of Undisputed. He later confirmed that he and Bayless had a falling out following an argument where Bayless compared Sharpe's NFL career to Tom Brady's.
Sharpe also has multiple podcasts: Club Shay Shay (which he hosts) and Nightcap (which he hosts with Chad Ochocinco Johnson and Gilbert Arenas). The episode of Club Shay Shay featuring Bubba Wallace was selected by the Apple Podcasts editorial team on their "Apple Podcasts Best of 2021" list. Both podcasts have been nominated for and won multiple awards for online media.
On August 23, 2023, it was announced that Sharpe and his Club Shay Shay podcast would join The Volume, a digital podcast network founded by Colin Cowherd under a multi-year deal. The following day, Sharpe was announced to join First Take on ESPN as a recurring panelist, beginning on September 4, 2023. He appeared every Monday and Tuesday during the 2023 NFL season. On February 16, 2024, Sharpe signed a contract extension to remain on the show. In June 2024, Sharpe had officially signed a new multi-year contract extension with ESPN which also allowed him to expand his role on First Take.
On September 12, Nightcap streamed The Roast of Shannon Sharpe, with special guests including Lavell Crawford, Kai Cenat, Godfrey, Cam Newton, and Snoop Dogg.
In February 2025, the "Club Shay Shay" podcast won the Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards. He was also a nominee for Entertainer of the Year but was edged out by actress, singer and television personality Keke Palmer.
On April 24, 2025, Sharpe departed from ESPN for an unknown period of time amid a sexual assault lawsuit against him. Despite his intent to return to ESPN in time for the start of the NFL preseason, the amount of time that Sharpe will be on hiatus remains indefinite.
Sharpe has three children: son Kiari and daughters Kayla and Kaley.
On February 10, 2023, former NFL quarterback Brett Favre began a lawsuit against Sharpe and fellow former NFL player Pat McAfee, as well as Mississippi auditor Shad White, for making "defamatory charges" about Favre's involvement in a $77 million welfare fraud scheme. A representative for Favre stated that Sharpe and McAfee "tried to enhance their careers by fabricating unsubstantiated defamation charges against [Favre]." The lawsuit was dismissed by the United States District Court for the District of Mississippi and the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal.
In May 2023, Sharpe's Los Angeles home was burglarized with over $1 million worth of items stolen, according to several media reports. Obvious signs of forced entry were not found by the police. Sharpe announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
On September 11, 2024, Sharpe inadvertently started an Instagram Live after throwing his phone onto his bed; the live video captured only the audio of him while he engaged in sexual intercourse. Sharpe initially denied his involvement in the act, stating his account was hacked. Later that night, he admitted on Nightcap that the video was authentic and apologized for his actions.
On April 21, 2025, Sharpe was named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by OnlyFans model Gabriella Zuniga, who initially used the pseudonym "Jane Doe," and is represented by attorney Tony Buzbee. The 13-page complaint alleges Sharpe committed "assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery" and engaged in the "intentional infliction of emotional distress," and seeks compensatory and punitive damages of more than $50 million from Sharpe. In response, Sharpe released a video denying the accusations and calling the whole issue "a shakedown." Soon afterwards, the woman's legal team sent numerous text messages which were exchanged between her and Sharpe to Larry Brown Sports. Sharpe's legal team had previously revealed some text messages exchanged between Sharpe and the woman as well.
Sharpe's lawyer Lanny Davis conceded that Sharpe previously offered a "$10 million" settlement to the accuser. In a recording obtained by People magazine, a voice resembling Sharpe’s is ostensibly heard threatening physical harm to the accuser, with the words, "If you say that word one more time, I'm gonna fucking choke the shit out of you when I see you."
Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. is an American football coach who is the head football coach at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He is also a former professional football and baseball player, having played in the National Football League for 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Baltimore Ravens, and nine seasons of Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. He won two Super Bowl titles and made one World Series appearance in 1992, making him the only athlete to play in a Super Bowl and World Series.
Sanders played college football as a cornerback for the Florida State Seminoles, winning the Jim Thorpe Award in 1988 before being selected by the Falcons fifth overall in the 1989 NFL draft. He also played as a return specialist and occasionally as a wide receiver during his NFL career, receiving six first-team All-Pros and nine Pro Bowl honors. He won Super Bowl XXIX with the 49ers and Super Bowl XXX with the Cowboys. Sanders was inducted into the College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Known as "Prime Time" in his playing days and later "Coach Prime", Sanders briefly worked as an analyst for NFL Network before coaching high school players throughout the 2010s. In 2020, Sanders was named head coach of the Jackson State Tigers, leading them to two consecutive Celebration Bowl appearances and the school's first undefeated regular season in 2022. Sanders was named Colorado head coach in 2023. His sons Shilo and Shedeur played for him with Jackson State and Colorado.
Sanders had a nine-year, part-time baseball career, playing left and center field in 641 games with four teams. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round of the 1985 draft, but did not sign with them. The New York Yankees selected Sanders in the 30th round of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft, and he signed with the team on June 22. He batted .284 in 28 minor league games after signing.
The Yankees invited Sanders to spring training in 1989. Assigned to wear no. 71 as a uniform number, Sanders requested a single digit number. The Yankees gave him no. 30, the lowest number available, which offended many veteran players on the team. Sanders opened the 1989 season with the Albany-Colonie Yankees of the Double–A Eastern League. Though Sanders planned to leave the Yankees in July to attend NFL training camp, he became embroiled in a contract dispute with the Falcons, and used the Yankees as leverage.
Sanders received a promotion to the major leagues, and spent the summer with the Columbus Clippers of the Triple–A International League. Sanders made his MLB debut on May 31, 1989.
At the 1989 NFL Scouting Combine, Sanders ran the 40-yard dash with times of 4.27s and 4.29s. seconds. He was the fifth pick overall in the 1989 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons,where he played until 1993. Despite fumbling (and recovering) his first NFL punt return (which was re-kicked on a penalty), Sanders ran for a touchdown on his second attempt of his first game. During his time in Atlanta, he intercepted 24 passes (including a career-high seven in 1993), three of which he returned for touchdowns. In 1992, he also led the league in kick return yards (1,067), yards per return (26.7) and return touchdowns (two). On October 11, 1992, Sanders played in a Falcons game in Miami and then flew to Pittsburgh, hoping to play in the Braves' League Championship Series game against the Pirates that evening and become the first athlete to play in two professional leagues in the same day. Sanders, however did not appear in the baseball game that night. During his five years playing with the Falcons, Sanders scored 10 touchdowns (three defensive, three kick returns, two punt returns, and two receptions).
During the 1989 season, Sanders hit a home run and scored a touchdown in the NFL in the same week, becoming the only player ever to do so. Sanders is also the only person to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. Sanders and Bo Jackson were the preeminent multi-sport athletes of their time, but prior to the 1990 season, they had never squared off against each other in a professional game. That changed in 1990, when Jackson and Sanders met five times on the diamond—the most memorable of which came on July 17, in what was billed as "The Bo and Prime Time Show". After Bo Jackson's three-homer night, Sanders said, "He's (Bo's) one of the best athletes who ever put on a uniform." Sanders himself hit a dramatic inside-the-park home run in the same game that was unsuccessfully fielded by Jackson.
Sanders made the Yankees' Opening Day roster for the 1990 season. On May 22, 1990, Sanders became involved in a dispute with Chicago White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk. Sanders started by stepping up to the plate with one out and a runner on third, drawing a dollar sign in the dirt before the pitch and then failed to run to first base after hitting a routine pop fly to shortstop, trotting back to the dugout instead. The Yankee fans booed, and Fisk told Sanders to run the ball out and called Sanders a "piece of shit". Later in the game, Sanders told Fisk that "the days of slavery are over". Fisk was furious, later saying: "He comes up and wants to make it a racial issue, there's no racial issue involved. There is a right way and a wrong way to play this game."
By mid-July, Sanders expressed that he was unsure if he would remain with the Yankees or report to training camp for the upcoming NFL season. He requested a $1 million salary for the 1991 season, and the Yankees ended negotiations on a contract extension with Sanders. He left the team, finishing the 1990 season with a .158 batting average and three home runs in 57 games. In September 1990, the Yankees placed Sanders on waivers with the intention of giving him his release, as Yankees' general manager Gene Michael said that Sanders' football career was stunting his baseball development.
Sanders later signed with the Atlanta Braves for the 1991 MLB season. On July 31, Sanders hit a key three-run homer to spark a comeback win against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the Braves' run to the National League West Division title. However, he left the Braves the very next day to report to the Atlanta Falcons because of a clause in his NFL contract and missed the postseason. Before the 1992 season, Sanders reworked his NFL deal, whereby he still reported to the Falcons for training camp in August, but was allowed to rejoin the Braves for the postseason.
During the 1992 season, his best year in the majors, Sanders hit .304 for the team, stole 26 bases, and led the NL with 14 triples in 97 games. In four games of the 1992 World Series, Sanders batted .533 with four runs, eight hits, two doubles, and one RBI while playing with a broken bone in his foot. His batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, total bases and win probability added each led the team in the series. Despite Sanders' performance, the Braves ultimately lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in six games. In Game 3, he narrowly avoided being a victim of what would have been only the second triple play in World Series history (following Bill Wambsganss' unassisted triple play in 1920). With Sanders on second base and Terry Pendleton on first, David Justice hit a deep fly ball to center field that Blue Jays center fielder Devon White unexpectedly caught with a leaping effort. Pendleton passed Sanders on the bases for the second out, but umpire Bob Davidson called Sanders safe after he scampered back to second base. Replays showed that Toronto third baseman Kelly Gruber tagged him on the heel before he returned to second.
The Braves traded Sanders to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Roberto Kelly on May 30, 1994. In 46 games played, Sanders batted .277 and stole 19 bases. The following year, he played in 33 games for the Reds, recording a .240 batting average with 16 stolen bases before being traded to the San Francisco Giants.
After five seasons with Atlanta, Sanders signed on to play the 1994 season with the San Francisco 49ers. He had arguably his best season as a professional football player, recording six interceptions and returning them for an NFL-best 303 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 50.5 yards per return. (Average yards per interception return is not an official NFL statistic however.) It was also the most interception return yardage in a single-season since Charlie McNeil in 1961. Two of his interceptions were returned for a gain of at least 90 yards, making him the first player to do this in NFL history. On October 16, 1994, Sanders made his dramatic return to the Georgia Dome in a 49er uniform. After getting into a scuffle with his former Falcon teammate Andre Rison, Sanders intercepted a pass from quarterback Jeff George and returned it 93 yards while mockingly staring down the entire Falcons sideline before high-stepping into the end zone. Sanders was later voted the 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. In Super Bowl XXIX, he recorded an end zone interception in the fourth quarter as the 49ers won over the San Diego Chargers, earning him his first championship ring.
On July 21, 1995, the Reds traded Sanders, Dave McCarty, Ricky Pickett, John Roper, and Scott Service to the San Francisco Giants for Dave Burba, Darren Lewis, and Mark Portugal. He batted .280, hit 5 home runs and stole 8 bases in 52 games for the Giants.
Sanders, along with his agent Eugene Parker, courted several teams in need of a cornerback. The teams in the "Deion Sweepstakes", as it was called by the media, were the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, who had lost their starting cornerback Kevin Smith to injury for the rest of the season.
On September 9, 1995, (in week 2 of the season), Sanders signed a lucrative contract with the Dallas Cowboys (seven years, $35 million with a $12.99 million signing bonus, because owner Jerry Jones was superstitious about the number 13), essentially making him at the time, the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL. Sanders later stated in his book Power, Money & Sex: How Success Almost Ruined My Life that the Oakland Raiders offered him more money than any other team, but he chose to play in Dallas for more time on the offensive side of the ball, a chance to win back-to-back Super Bowls, and because of his friendship with Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin. Arthroscopic surgery kept him sidelined until his debut in week 9, which was once again in Atlanta against the Falcons; the Cowboys won, 28–13. He went on to help the Cowboys win their third title in four years in Super Bowl XXX against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he returned a punt for 11 yards and caught a 47-yard reception on offense, setting up Dallas's first touchdown of the game and a 27–17 victory. Sanders played four more seasons with Dallas, earning Pro Bowl selection in all of them. On June 2, 2000, he was released in a salary-cap move.
In 1997, Sanders finished second in the NL with 56 stolen bases in 115 games while with the Cincinnati Reds before leaving baseball for three years.
Soon after the Cowboys released Sanders, the Washington Redskins signed Sanders to a seven-year, $56 million contract. At the end of the 2000 season and an above-average statistical year, Sanders abruptly retired in July 2001 after only playing one year with the Redskins.
On December 23, 2002, the Redskins waived Sanders from the reserve/retired list in order to potentially allow him to play for the Oakland Raiders in the 2002–03 NFL playoffs. If he had passed through waivers unclaimed, he would have been able to sign a free-agent contract with any team and play during the season. However, on December 25, five teams (the Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans) placed waiver bids for him, with the Chargers claiming him by having the highest waiver priority. Since it was too late in the season to be activated from the reserve/retired list, he was unable to play for the Chargers for the rest of the season.
Sanders returned to the Reds in 2001, but was released after playing in only 32 games and batting just .173. After Sanders' release from the Reds, he signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, who assigned him to the Triple-A Syracuse SkyChiefs.
Sanders' football contract had been negotiated to allow for him to play both baseball and football, but the terms of the contract stated that Sanders could miss NFL training camp and the first few games of the season only if he were playing Major League Baseball. Since he was not then on an MLB roster, Sanders had to leave Syracuse and return to the Washington Redskins so he would not violate his NFL contract. In his final professional baseball game, Sanders hit a solo home run and an RBI single in Syracuse's 12–6 win over the Toledo Mud Hens. As those in MLB and the NFL urged Sanders to concentrate on only one sport (similar to what they did with Bo Jackson), he often explained, "football is my wife and baseball is my mistress."
In 2004, Sanders announced his intention to come out of retirement after being convinced by his friend Joe Zorovich, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Corey Fuller, and linebacker Ray Lewis to play. He signed a one-year deal with the Ravens to be a nickelback. Sanders chose to wear the number 37, which matched his age at the time, to preemptively let people know that he was well aware of his relative senior status as an NFL player (additionally, his usual number 21 was already being worn by Ravens Pro Bowl cornerback Chris McAlister). Against the Buffalo Bills in week 7 of 2004, Sanders scored his ninth career interception return touchdown, moving him into a tie with Ken Houston and Aeneas Williams, and behind Rod Woodson (with 12), for second place all-time in the statistical category.
Sanders played in every game of the 2005 season. The Ravens failed to qualify for the postseason for the second straight year and he retired in January 2006.
While continuing to work as an NFL analyst, Sanders became the head coach for the Prime Prep Academy, which he co-founded. The executive director of the school twice tried to fire Sanders, in one instance after witnesses said Sanders grabbed a school official by the collar, causing the official to fall to the floor. He stayed as the head coach for 2012 and 2013. The school was shut down in 2015 amid a spate of problems.
In 2015, he was hired as the head coach for Triple A Academy, where he was the coach for two seasons.
In 2017, he became the offensive coordinator for Trinity Christian High School giving him the opportunity to coach his sons Shilo and Shedeur Sanders, along with his eldest son Deion Jr.
On September 21, 2020, Deion Sanders became the 21st head coach of the Jackson State Tigers of the historically black (HBCU) Jackson State University. The Tigers play in the second level of NCAA football, the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). In his first season in spring 2021, abbreviated and delayed from its normally intended fall 2020 schedule due to COVID-19 disruptions, he led the Tigers to a 4–3 record, with one win by forfeit.
In the fall 2021 season, Sanders led the Tigers to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title and a program record of 11 wins, also being named the recipient of the fall 2021 Eddie Robinson Award as the season's top FCS head coach. Jackson State went on to play in the 2021 Celebration Bowl where they were defeated by South Carolina State 31–10. The following season, Jackson State again played in the Celebration Bowl where they were again defeated 41–34 by North Carolina Central, bringing Coach Sanders' overall bowl record to 0–2.
Sanders notably flipped the recruitment of defensive back Travis Hunter who was the number one overall recruit in the 2022 class. Hunter initially committed to Sanders' alma mater Florida State. The move was heralded by recruiting director Steve Wiltfong; he said it was "the biggest signing day moment in the history of college football" as Football Championship Subdivision programs and the HBCUs that compete at such a level of competition are not usual destinations for high level recruits out of high school. Hunter was the first five-star recruit to sign with an FCS program. Not only did Sanders attract high-level recruits for HBCUs, he increased revenue for these once low funded teams and put HBCUs on the map. Sanders paid for meals and training facilities out of his own pocket.
On December 3, 2022, Sanders was named the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. Sanders made extensive use of the transfer portal in replacing nearly the Buffaloes' entire roster, with 46 players leaving in the transfer portal and 50 transferring in. Nine followed him from Jackson State, including sons Shedeur and Shilo, and former five-star recruit Hunter. After going 1–11 in the previous season, Colorado won their first three games of the 2023 season, then lost their next two, then recorded their only conference win of the season. Colorado finished the season 4–8 with a 1–8 record in Pac-12 play.
Colorado entered the 2024 season with a projected win total of 5.5 wins. They ultimately finished the regular season 9–3, tied for 1st in the Big 12 conference, but missing the conference championship game due to tiebreakers. CB/WR Travis Hunter won the Heisman trophy for Colorado, with QB Shedeur Sanders finishing 8th in Heisman voting. The team lost to BYU in the Alamo Bowl. Following the strong season, Colorado retired the jerseys of Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.
On March 28, 2025, Sanders agreed to a five-year, $54 million contract extension with Colorado.
During his 14-year NFL career, Sanders was a perennial All-Pro and considered by many as one of, if not the strongest pass defenders ever to play the game.
Sanders also occasionally lined up with the team's offense. During the 1996 season, Sanders skipped the baseball season, concentrating on football, and attended the first NFL training camp of his career to better familiarize himself with the nuances of the wide receiver position. He became only the second two-way starter (after the Cardinals' Roy Green) in the NFL since Chuck Bednarik.
Sanders is the only man to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series, to hit an MLB home run and score an NFL touchdown in the same week, and to have both a reception and an interception in the Super Bowl. He is one of seven players to win back-to-back Super Bowls with different teams. He is also one of two players to score an NFL touchdown six different ways (interception return, punt return, kickoff return, receiving, rushing, and fumble recovery).
During his career, Sanders intercepted 53 passes for 1,331 yards (a 25.1 yards per return average), recovered four fumbles for 15 yards, returned 155 kickoffs for 3,523 yards, gained 2,199 yards on 212 punt returns, and caught 60 passes for 784 yards. Sanders amassed 7,838 all-purpose yards and scored 22 touchdowns, nine interception returns, six punt returns, three kickoff returns, three receiving, and one fumble recovery. His 19 defensive and return touchdowns was an NFL record (now held by Devin Hester with 20 return touchdowns). In the postseason Sanders added five more interceptions, as well as three receptions for 95 yards, four carries for 39 yards, and two touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving). He was selected to eight Pro Bowls and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1994.
