Jerramy Stevens

Jerramy Stevens

No. --     Free Agent
Tight end
Personal information
Date of birth: November 13, 1979 (1979-11-13) (age 32)
Place of birth: Boise, Idaho
Height: 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	Weight: 260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
College: Washington
NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 28
Debuted in 2002 for the Seattle Seahawks
Career history
Seattle Seahawks (2002–2006) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2007–2010)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
N/A
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2010
Receptions	201
Receiving Yards	2,204
Touchdowns	22
Stats at NFL.com

Jerramy Stevens (born November 13, 1979) 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.

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.^[1]

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

Stevens was selected by his hometown Seattle Seahawks 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.^[2]

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.^[3]

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.^[4] 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.^[5]

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 Saints, 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.^[6]

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."^[7][8] 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 drug 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".^[7][8]

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.^[7][8]

• 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, Washington 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, Arizona for suspicion of DUI after his blood alcohol content 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.^[9] This sentence was later decreased to 10 days by a Scottsdale city judge.^[10]

• 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.^[11]

• 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.^[12]

• 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." ^[13]

References

1. ^ Seattle Times (January 27, 2008). "Victory and ruins: The disturbing story behind the last great UW team — and how its legacy still casts a shadow on the Huskies". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004147443_rboverview27m0.html. Retrieved January 27, 2008. 
2. ^ San Francisco Chronicle. "Brayton, Stevens fined by NFL, but avoid suspensions". The San Francisco Chronicle. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/11/08/sports/s164232S13.DTL. Retrieved November 8, 2006. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Seattle Times (November 8, 2006). "Stevens takes lumps". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2003364929_hawknotes08.html. Retrieved November 8, 2006. 
4. ^ Tim Booth, Associated Press Writer. "Seahawks GM says Jerramy Stevens won't be back in Seattle". http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-seahawks-stevens&prov=ap&type=lgns. Retrieved March 21, 2007. 
5. ^ United Press International. "Seahawks sign TE Marcus Pollard". http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Sports/20070314-052851-8920r/. Retrieved March 21, 2007. 
6. ^ "Bucs' Stevens suspended for two games". USA Today. June 4, 2008. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/2008-06-04-4078684876_x.htm. Retrieved May 6, 2010. 
7. ^ ^{a b c} Seattle Times (January 27, 2008). "Convicted of assault and accused of rape, star player received raft of second chances". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004147460_rbstevens270.html. Retrieved January 27, 2008. 
8. ^ ^{a b c} Armstrong, Ken; Perry, Nick (January 27, 2008). "Convicted of assault and accused of rape, star player received raft of second chances". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004147460_rbstevens270.html. 
9. ^ azcentral. "Tampa Bay TE, Stevens, gets 12 days in jail, fines for extreme DUI". http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/1002sr-stevens1003-ON.html. Retrieved January 1, 2008. 
10. ^ http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/1002sr-stevens1003-ON.html
11. ^ "Neighbors don't miss Jerramy". The Seattle Times. March 16, 2007. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003620813_brodeur16m.html. 
12. ^ "Tampa Bay TE Stevens charged with drug possession". Associated Press. 2010-10-24. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AoCvlnP6U4ysO.h1l6uRSeVDubYF?slug=ap-buccaneers-stevensarrest. Retrieved 2010-10-24. 
13. ^ http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article1155220.ece

External links

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio

Persondata
Name	Stevens, Jerramy
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 13, 1979
Place of birth	Boise, Idaho
Date of death
Place of death