Brandon Meriweather
refer to caption
Meriweather with the Washington Redskins, 2012
No. 31, 22
Position:Free safety
Personal information
Born: (1984-01-14) January 14, 1984
Apopka, Florida, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:197 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school:Apopka
College:Miami (FL) (2002–2006)
NFL Draft:2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:414
Sacks:6.0
Forced fumbles:9
Fumble recoveries:3
Interceptions:17
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Brandon Meriweather (born January 14, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a free safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, and was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Meriweather has also played for the Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, and New York Giants.

Early years

Meriweather's mother gave birth to him when she was 13 years old. Meriweather started living with his adopted parents at age 11.[1] He attended Apopka High School in Apopka, Florida, where he played high school football. He helped lead his school to the Florida Class 6A state championship as a senior in 2001. He started as a kick returner, returning four kicks for touchdowns as a senior. He also lettered in track and basketball.

College career

Meriweather received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Miami and played for the Miami Hurricanes football team. In 2002, he played in three games and had three total tackles before injuring his ankle, and was given a medical redshirt by the NCAA. In 2003, Meriweather played the majority of the season on special teams and in different nickel and dime packages. He got his first start against West Virginia as a nickel back. He finished the year with 22 tackles, one interception and five pass break-ups.

Meriweather played in all 12 games of the 2004 season but only started seven because of a nagging shoulder injury. He contributed 62 tackles, a half sack, two forced fumbles, five pass break-ups and two interceptions. He received the team's 2004 Hard Hitter Award.

Meriweather was named to the All-America team as voted by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and was also selected first-team All-ACC in 2005. He was also a semi-finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. He led the team with a career-high 115 tackles, seven pass break-ups, one sack, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and three interceptions. He received the team's Hard Hitter Award for the second consecutive season.

In 2006 Meriweather was a member of the 50th Anniversary Playboy Preseason All-America Team and was also on the Thorpe Award watch list for the second straight year. In 12 games, Meriweather registered 91 tackles, one sack, eight pass break-ups and one interception. He was also a semi-finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, and was voted first-team All-ACC and All-American. He left Miami with the record for most tackles by a defensive back with 293.[2]

Meriweather was invited to the Senior Bowl at the end of the season.

Controversies

7th Floor Crew

Meriweather was a member of the 7th Floor Crew, a rap group which consisted of several members of the Miami Hurricanes football team, including Greg Olsen, Jon Beason and Tavares Gooden. The group created controversy with their sexually explicit rap lyrics which were criticized as being misogynistic and profane.[3]

Shooting incident

On July 21, 2006, Meriweather was involved in a shooting incident when teammate Willie Cooper was shot in the buttocks. In self-defense, He returned fire and shot at the unidentified shooters three times. He was not charged with a crime because his gun was owned legally.[4]

Miami-FIU Brawl

During the Miami-FIU brawl on October 14, 2006, Meriweather was seen stomping multiple times on several Florida International players on the ground. Meriweather was ultimately suspended by the ACC and Miami for his role in the incident.[5] It is believed that his actions during the brawl and the shooting incident may have caused his draft stock to slip.[6]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 ft 10+5⁄8 in
(1.79 m)		 195 lb
(88 kg)		 31 in
(0.79 m)		 8+1⁄4 in
(0.21 m)		4.56 s1.64 s2.68 s4.33 s7.06 s35.0 in
(0.89 m)		9 ft 3 in
(2.82 m)		11 reps
All values from NFL Combine[7][8]

New England Patriots

Meriweather with the Patriots, 2010

Meriweather was selected in the first round (24th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. The pick used to select Meriweather was traded by the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Deion Branch.[9] During his rookie season most of his time was spent on special teams, and he finished the season with 28 tackles. He played in Super Bowl XLII as a fourth safety in the Patriots' defense behind Rodney Harrison, James Sanders, and Eugene Wilson. During his second season in 2008, Meriweather recorded his first career interception in Week 2 off New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre. After starting strong safety Rodney Harrison suffered a season-ending injury against the Denver Broncos in Week 7, Meriweather started the final 11 games. In Week 14, Meriweather recorded his first career sack to stifle a late-game Seattle Seahawks drive and secure a Patriots victory. He finished the season with 83 tackles, two sacks, and four interceptions.

In Week 7, Meriweather had two interceptions against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including one returned 39 yards for a touchdown, and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[10] He started all 16 games and finished the 2009 season with 83 tackles and five interceptions, and was named to his first Pro Bowl as a replacement to the injured Jairus Byrd.

Meriweather was not part of the Patriots base defense to begin the 2010 season, something which Meriweather described as a coaching decision as a result of him freelancing in the defense during training camp.[11] After being replaced as a starter in Weeks 2 and 3 by James Sanders, Meriweather returned to his starting role in Week 4.

In Week 6, Meriweather was penalized for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Baltimore Ravens tight end Todd Heap. While Heap walked off the field and would later return, the hit, grouped together with other helmet-to-helmet hits on defenseless receivers from NFL players during the week, sparked controversy over the protection of players. The NFL took action the following Tuesday when they fined Meriweather $50,000 for the hit. Following the game, the league announced that it would begin suspending players for dangerous hits, particularly those involving helmet to helmet hits on defenseless receivers.[12]

In 16 games played (13 starts), Meriweather recorded 68 tackles, three interceptions, and six passes defensed. He was named to his second Pro Bowl following the season.

During final cuts on September 3, 2011, Meriweather was released by the New England Patriots.[13]

Chicago Bears

Meriweather signed with the Chicago Bears on September 4, 2011, to a one-year deal.[14][15][16][17] After Week 4 of 2011 NFL season against the Carolina Panthers, he was fined $20,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit against Steve Smith. The week after he was fined $25,000 for an unnecessary roughness penalty due to a late hit after the end of a play against the Detroit Lions.[18] Former Bears wide receiver, Tom Waddle, negatively criticized Meriweather's tackling technique stating that it doesn't show any regard for the safety of other players.[19]

Washington Redskins

Meriweather with the Washington Redskins, 2012
Meriweather with the Redskins, 2014

Meriweather signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Washington Redskins on March 15, 2012.[20] In practice on September 3, he suffered a sprain in the medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.[21] After missing the first three games, he was expected to make his 2012 season debut in Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[22] He ended up colliding with Aldrick Robinson during pre-game warmups and both were inactive for the game, due to Meriweather re-injuring his knee and Robinson out with a concussion.[23]

He would finally make his debut for the Redskins in their game against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 18, where he had a significant impact early in the game registering one interception and multiple hard hitting tackles, but left in the second half with a right knee injury. It was confirmed the next day that Meriweather suffered a right ACL tear and would miss the remainder of the 2012 season on injured reserve.[24][25]

In his 2013 debut against the Green Bay Packers, Meriweather gave running back Eddie Lacy a concussion after having helmet-to-helmet collision and later gave himself a concussion after another helmet-to-helmet hit with James Starks.[26] After the week two game, he was fined $42,000 for the helmet-to-helmet hit on Lacy.[27] In the Week 7 game against the Chicago Bears, Meriweather was penalized for two illegal hits on receivers, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.[28] On October 21, 2013, he was suspended for two games because of repeated violations of the league's helmet-to-helmet policy.[29] Two days later, his suspension was reduced to one game.[30] The amended one-game suspension was without pay and cost Meriweather $70,588 of his $1.2 million salary for that season.[31]

During his late October 2013 suspension, Meriweather made comments to the press about how he would need to change his style of play. "I guess I just got to take people's knees out. That's the only way. I would hate to end a guy's career over a rule, but I guess it's better other people than me getting suspended for longer. You just have to go low now, man. You've got to end people's careers. You got to tear people's ACLs and mess up people's knees. You can't hit them high anymore."[32] He also responded to Brandon Marshall's comments towards him getting kicked out the league with "He feel like I need to be kicked out of the league? You know, I feel like people who beat their girlfriends should be kicked out the league, too. So, you tell me who you'd rather have: Somebody who play aggressive on the field, or somebody who beat up their girlfriend? You know, everybody got their opinion, so that's mine, that's his."[33][34] The NFL discussed the comments with Meriweather and decided not to take disciplinary action against him.[35]

The Redskins re-signed him to a one-year contract on March 17. 2014.[36] On August 25, 2014, a few days after the Redskins third preseason game, Meriweather was suspended for two games due to an illegal hit on Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith.[37] In a Week 8 win against the Dallas Cowboys, he had a standout performance. In the overtime victory, he recorded two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery after cornerback Bashaud Breeland stripped DeMarco Murray.[38] He was placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2014.[39]

New York Giants

On August 16, 2015, Meriweather agreed to terms with the New York Giants. On December 16, 2015, he was released by the Giants.[40] On December 23, 2015, Meriweather was re-signed by the Giants.[41]

NFL career statistics

YearTeamGPCombSoloAsstSackFFFRYdsIntYdsAvgLngTDPD
2007NE 16271890.0100000.0003
2008NE 168361222.02004256.31909
2009NE 168353300.0200514929.85619
2010NE 166849190.001033913.03906
2011CHI 113219130.0000000.0002
2012WAS 17340.000012525.02502
2013WAS 136953161.011026231.03203
2014WAS 105536193.0310000.0003
2015NYG 135943160.000022613.02607
Total1124833351486.09301732619.256144

[42]

Controversy

Arrest on suspicion of DWI

On April 25, 2012, Meriweather was arrested in Arlington County, Virginia, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, according to a press account. He was initially stopped for speeding on westbound I-66, according to Arlington County police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, who also said that officers detected an odor of alcohol on his breath and performed a field sobriety test, which Meriweather failed. Sternbeck further stated that Meriweather refused a breathalyzer test, was arrested and spent the night in the Arlington County jail. According to the press account, "Police say Meriweather claimed he was driving home from a club in D.C., but couldn't remember the name of the club."[43]

References

  1. ↑ Gasper, Christopher L. (May 11, 2007). "Branded unjustly?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
  2. ↑ Ulman, Howard (April 26, 2007). "Pats could focus on defense in draft". SeaCoastOnline.com. Associated Press. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
  3. ↑ "7th Floor Crew: Where are they Now?". August 13, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Miami safety Cooper shot, teammate returns fire". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 21, 2006. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Miami, FIU have 31 suspended for role in brawl". ESPN.com. October 16, 2006. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
  6. ↑ Garafolo, Mike (April 17, 2007). "Interview with Meriweather". The Star Ledger. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Brandon Meriweather Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  8. ↑ "2007 NFL Draft Scout Brandon Meriweather College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  9. ↑ "2007 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  10. ↑ Price, Christopher (October 28, 2009). "Meriweather wins AFC weekly honor". WEEI.com. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  11. ↑ Rapoport, Ian (September 20, 2010). "Why Patriots S Brandon Meriweather hasn't been starting". The Boston Herald. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  12. ↑ "NFL fines 3 players total of $175K". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 19, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  13. ↑ Mike Reiss, Meriweather told he's to be released, ESPN, September 3, 2011.
  14. ↑ Pompei, Dan (September 4, 2011). "Bears sign former Patriots safety Meriweather". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Chicago Bears, Brandon Meriweather agree to one-year deal". Sportingnews.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Bears agree to terms with Meriweather". The Sacramento Bee. September 4, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Meriweather agrees to one-year deal with Bears". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  18. ↑ Biggs, Brad (October 14, 2011). "Another week, another fine for Brandon-Meriweather". NationalFootballPost.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Tom Waddle rips Brandon Meriweather". ESPN.com. October 11, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  20. ↑ Jones, Mike (March 15, 2012). "Redskins agree to terms with safety Brandon Meriweather". WashingtonPost. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  21. ↑ Jones, Mike (September 5, 2012). "Brandon Meriweather out two to four weeks with new knee injury". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  22. ↑ Jones, Mike (September 28, 2012). "Brandon Meriweather 'ecstatic' about prospects of making Redskins debut". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  23. ↑ Campbell, Rich (October 1, 2012). "Brandon Meriweather out a week, Aldrick Robinson out indefinitely after collision". WashingtonTimes.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  24. ↑ Tinsman, Brian (November 19, 2012). "Meriweather Has Torn ACL, Done For Season". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  25. ↑ Tinsman, Brian (November 20, 2012). "Redskins Sign Murphy, Meriweather To IR". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  26. ↑ Pelissero, Tom (September 18, 2013). "Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather hit with $42,000 fine". USAToday.com. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  27. ↑ Jones, Mike (September 18, 2013). "Brandon Meriweather fined $42,000 for helmet-to-helmet hit". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  28. ↑ Maske, Mark (October 20, 2013). "Meriweather likely faces suspension or hefty fine after two penalties Sunday for illegal hits". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  29. ↑ Pelissero, Tom (October 21, 2013). "Redskins' Brandon Meriweather suspended two games". USA Today. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  30. ↑ Florio, Mike (October 23, 2013). "Meriweather suspension reduced to one game". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  31. ↑ Maske, Mark (October 23, 2013). "Meriweather suspension reduced to one game". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  32. ↑ Keim, John (November 2, 2013). "NFLPA talks to Brandon Meriweather". espn.com. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  33. ↑ Keim, John (October 28, 2013). "Brandon Meriweather rips Marshall". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  34. ↑ Boyer, Zac (October 28, 2013). "Brandon Meriweather takes a personal shot at Brandon Marshall". WashingtonTimes.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  35. ↑ Peliserro, Tom (October 29, 2013). "NFL won't discipline Brandon Meriweather for talk about targeting opponents' knees". USA Today. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  36. ↑ JONES, MIKE (March 17, 2014). "Redskins re-sign safety Brandon Meriweather to one-year deal". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  37. ↑ Florio, Mike (August 25, 2014). "NFL suspends Meriweather two games". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  38. ↑ "Redskins-Cowboys Tuesday Stats Pack". Redskins.com. October 28, 2014. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  39. ↑ Gantt, Darin (December 19, 2014). "Washington puts Brandon Meriweather on IR". NBCSports.com. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  40. ↑ "Giants release safety Brandon Meriweather". Giants.com. December 16, 2015. Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  41. ↑ Eisen, Michael (December 23, 2015). "Two-way player Nikita Whitlock to IR; Brandon Meriweather signed". Giants.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  42. ↑ "Brandon Meriweather Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  43. ↑ "ArlNow account of DUI arrest". ArlNow.com. April 25, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
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