Charles Rogers (American football)

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Charles Rogers (American football) bigraphy, stories - All-American college football player, professional football player, wide receiver

Charles Rogers (American football) : biography

May 23, 1981 –

Not to be confused with Charles Rogers (American football coach), a college football head coach. For others with the same name, see Charles Rogers.

Charles Rogers (born May 23, 1981) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons during the early 2000s. He played college football for Michigan State University, earned unanimous All-American honors, and was recognized as the outstanding college wide receiver in the country. The Detroit Lions selected him with the second overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, and he played for the Lions for his entire pro career.

Personal Life and Legal Issues

He was arrested in September 2008 and charged with assault and battery of his girlfriend, Naija Washington, and the charges were later dropped. In December 2008, Rogers was sentenced to attend sobriety court or face jail time after violating his probation. He tested positive for Vicodin. In March 2009, Rogers was jailed for violating probation.http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2009-03-25-rogers-jail_N.htm?csp=34 Retrieved on 2009-03-25. On September 16, 2009, Rogers was arrested in Novi, Michigan for driving under the influence of alcohol after being found unresponsive behind the wheel of his car by police.http://www.mlive.com/sports/saginaw/index.ssf/2009/09/charles_rogers_arrested_charge.html Rogers was arrested again in Novi, MI on January 5, 2010, having passed out after drinking at an On the Border restaurant, which was a violation of a sobriety court order,http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4800941 Retrieved on 2010-01-06. and subsequently sentenced to a 93-day jail term.http://www.detnews.com/article/20100106/METRO/1060408/Ex-Lion-Charles-Rogers-ordered-back-to-jail Retrieved on 2010-01-07.

In August 2009, in an interview with ESPN’s Jemele Hill, Rogers admitted that he had not only been addicted to Vicodin, but also smoked marijuana regularly. He’d tested positive for marijuana twice while at Michigan State, and a test at the NFL combine detected excess water in his system. He was so distraught over his second collarbone injury that he began smoking marijuana daily to deal with the pain. He also said that his hard living contributed to his downfall in the NFL. "I got a little greedy. The girls played a part in it," Rogers said. "I fucked up. Point blank, simple." Hill, Jemele. . ESPN, 2009-09-14.

Rogers was ordered by a judge in April 2010 to return $6.1 million of his $9.1 million signing bonus to the Lions. The judge agreed with the Lions’ contention that Rogers’ drug use had breached his contract.http://www.freep.com/article/20100406/NEWS01/100406046/1354/SPORTS/Judge-Ex-Lion-owes-team-6.1M

On December 3, 2011, Rogers was pulled over by Michigan State police near the intersection of Dearborn and Fayette in Saginaw. Police found some sort of open alcohol container. A post commander says they are seeking warrants. It will be up to the prosecutor to determine possible charges. Rogers was not detained and police released him.http://www.wnem.com/story/16179501/former-lions-player-charles-rogers-pulled-over-by-police

College career

While attending Michigan State University, Rogers played for the Michigan State Spartans football team from 2000 to 2002. He broke numerous receiving records. Rogers still holds the school records for most touchdowns in a career with 27, breaking the record held by former Spartans wide receiver Kirk Gibson, and the school record for most receiving yards in a single game with 270. He broke Randy Moss’s NCAA record of 13 consecutive games with a touchdown catch. During his 2002 junior season, he had 68 receptions for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns, won the Fred Biletnikoff Award and Paul Warfield Trophy as the best college wide receiver in the nation, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.2011 NCAA Football Records Book, , National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 11 (2011). Retrieved June 22, 2012. His stock went up dramatically in his junior year when, in a game against Notre Dame, he outjumped two defenders to catch a Jeff Smoker pass in the back of the end zone, then managed to keep his left foot in bounds to score a touchdown.