Marcus LaVar Stroud is an American Football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 defensive end

Defensive end

Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...

 who is currently a free agent

Free agent

In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

. He was originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 13th overall in the 2001 NFL Draft

2001 NFL Draft

The 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...

. He played college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at Georgia

Georgia Bulldogs football

The 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 738–398–54...

. He has also been a member of the Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 and New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

.

Early years

Stroud won a state title with Brooks County High School in 1994. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

in 1996 while still in high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 which featured a cover story of National Signing Day

National Signing Day

National Signing Day most commonly refers to a day in February, usually on the first Wednesday of that month, which is the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football with a school that is a member of the NCAA, the main governing body for...

. Stroud, at the time a 6′6″, 266-pound defensive end, originally gave Florida a verbal commitment but changed his mind after Bulldogs coach Ray Goff

Ray Goff

-Quotes:-External links:...

 was fired in November 1995. After heavy pursuit from new Georgia coach Jim Donnan

Jim Donnan

Jim Donnan is a former American football player and coach and now a television analyst for college football and a motivational speaker. He served as the head football coach at Marshall University and the University of Georgia , compiling a career record of 104–40–1...

, Stroud switched back to Georgia on Signing Day.

College career

Marcus played college football for the University of Georgia

University of Georgia

The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

. At Georgia, his teammates included future NFL players Jonas Jennings

Jonas Jennings

Jonas D. Jennings is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft...

, Kendrell Bell

Kendrell Bell

Kendrell Alexander Bell is a former American football linebacker. He was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia...

, Will Witherspoon

Will Witherspoon

-Carolina Panthers:Witherspoon was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Witherspoon was the latest addition to new coach John Fox's overhaul of the defense, and Witherspoon's versatility at linebacker helped the Panthers total the second-best defense in the...

, Richard Seymour

Richard Seymour

Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...

, Tony Gilbert

Tony Gilbert

Antonio C. "Tony" Gilbert is a Free Agent American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia...

, Johnathan Sullivan

Johnathan Sullivan

Johnathan Lamar Sullivan is an American football defensive tackle and current free agent. He was drafted sixth in the first round by the New Orleans Saints in the 2003 NFL Draft...

, Charles Grant

Charles Grant (American football)

Charles Gabriel Grant is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft...

, Josh Mallard

Josh Mallard

Josh Mallard is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft...

 and Jamie Henderson

Jamie Henderson

Jamie Henderson is an American Football player . He played cornerback at The University of Georgia and was drafted in the 4th round of the 2001 draft by The New York Jets. He played for the New York Jets from 2001–2003. He is the cousin of American football player, Reggie Brown for the Tampa Bay...

.

Marcus is a member of Phi Beta Sigma

Phi Beta Sigma

Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...

 fraternity

Fraternities and sororities

Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...

.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Stroud was selected 13th in the 2001 NFL Draft

2001 NFL Draft

The 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 Jaguars. The 2001 NFL Draft is considered by many experts to be the finest draft for defensive tackles in draft history. The 2001 class included fellow Pro Bowl

Pro Bowl

In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

 selections Richard Seymour

Richard Seymour

Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft...

, Casey Hampton

Casey Hampton

Casey "Big Snack" Hampton, Jr. is an American football nose tackle who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League.-Early years:...

 and Kris Jenkins

Kris Jenkins

Kristopher Rudy-Charles Jenkins is a former American football nose tackle who played for the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...

.

He and John Henderson helped give the Jaguars one of the more dominant defensive tackles duos in the NFL.

Marcus Stroud was selected to the Pro Bowl

Pro Bowl

In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

 following the 2003, 2004 and 2005 NFL seasons.

Stroud was suspended in 2007 for four games without pay for violating the league's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

Buffalo Bills

On March 1, 2008 Stroud was traded to the Buffalo Bills for third- and fifth-round picks in the 2008 NFL Draft

2008 NFL Draft

The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...

.

Stroud was immediately deemed one of the key players to the Bills’ 2008 season, and Stroud said he is ready for the pressure, stating he believes the Bills’ run defense can vault at least 10 places.

On April 7, 2009, Stroud signed a two-year contract extension that guarantees him $12 million and pays him $16 million. In combination with the existing terms of his contract, Stroud could earn $28 million over the next four seasons.
Stroud was released February 16, 2011 by the Bills.

New England Patriots

On March 1, 2011 the New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

 signed defensive lineman Stroud to a two-year contract. He was released on July 28.

Car accident

Stroud escaped injury in 2005, when he rolled his SUV while driving on Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

’s Interstate 10

Interstate 10

Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...

 outside of Jacksonville.

Community

Stroud hosted the Marcus Stroud 99 Pro Bowl Football Camp For Kids on 30 May 2009 at Brooks County’s Veterans Stadium in Georgia. Several NFL professionals, including Mike Peterson and Verron Haynes of the Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

, and George Wilson, Donte Whitner, Kavika Mitchell, Marcus Buggs and Drayton Florence of the Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

gave of their time and talent on Saturday to encourage and train about 200 youth. The camp was free for the children.