Reggie Rogers
Encyclopedia
Reggie Rogers is a former professional
American football
defensive tackle who played four seasons in the National Football League
for the Detroit Lions
(1987–1988), the Buffalo Bills
(1991), and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(1992). He is also the younger brother of former Cleveland Browns
safety Don Rogers, who died of cocaine poisoning in June 1986.
Rogers was chosen seventh overall by the Lions in the 1987 NFL Draft
. However, he only played six games of his rookie season due to a slew of emotional problems, even spending time in a counseling center. His sophomore season ended after only five games when his car struck another vehicle and killed three teenagers. He was later found to have a blood alcohol content
of 0.15, almost double the legal limit of 0.08. The Lions waived him in July 1989, not because of the felony charges, but because he broke his neck in the accident. In 1990, he was convicted of vehicular homicide
and sentenced to 16 months in prison. After brief stints with the Buffalo Bills
and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
out of prison, Rogers was out of football entirely by the end of the 1992 season.
Rogers is often considered one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history. In 2008, ESPN
named him the 13th-biggest bust since the AFL-NFL merger
. A year earlier, Yahoo! Sports
named him the worst #7 pick since the merger.
On November 26, 2008, Rogers was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Tukwila, Washington
that resulted in his arrest and a charge of DUI
. It was his fifth arrest for DUI in the state of Washington, dating back to his college days at the University of Washington
.
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
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 tackle who played four seasons in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
(1987–1988), 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...
(1991), and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
(1992). He is also the younger brother of former Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
safety Don Rogers, who died of cocaine poisoning in June 1986.
Rogers was chosen seventh overall by the Lions in the 1987 NFL Draft
1987 NFL Draft
The 1987 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987...
. However, he only played six games of his rookie season due to a slew of emotional problems, even spending time in a counseling center. His sophomore season ended after only five games when his car struck another vehicle and killed three teenagers. He was later found to have a blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content , also called blood alcohol concentration, blood ethanol concentration, or blood alcohol level is most commonly used as a metric of alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes....
of 0.15, almost double the legal limit of 0.08. The Lions waived him in July 1989, not because of the felony charges, but because he broke his neck in the accident. In 1990, he was convicted of vehicular homicide
Vehicular homicide
Vehicular homicide in most states in the United States, is a crime. In general, it involves death that results from the negligent operation of a vehicle, or more so a result from driving while committing an unlawful act that does not amount to a felony...
and sentenced to 16 months in prison. After brief stints with 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 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
out of prison, Rogers was out of football entirely by the end of the 1992 season.
Rogers is often considered one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history. In 2008, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
named him the 13th-biggest bust since the AFL-NFL merger
AFL-NFL Merger
The AFL–NFL merger of 1970 was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League and the American Football League...
. A year earlier, Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports was launched on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc., employs various writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American sport...
named him the worst #7 pick since the merger.
On November 26, 2008, Rogers was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Tukwila, Washington
Tukwila, Washington
Tukwila is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The northern edge of Tukwila borders the city of Seattle. The population was 19,107 at the 2010 census.-History:...
that resulted in his arrest and a charge of DUI
DUI
DUI is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Driving under the influence * Democratic Union for Integration — the largest ethnic Albanian party in the Republic of Macedonia* Data Use Identifier...
. It was his fifth arrest for DUI in the state of Washington, dating back to his college days at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
.