Donovin Lee Darius (born August 12, 1975 in ) is
an
American football safety who is currently a
free agent. He was originally drafted by
the
Jacksonville Jaguars 25th
overall in the
1998 NFL Draft. He
played
college football at
Syracuse.
College career
Darius is
a notable graduate of Woodrow
Wilson High School
in Camden, New Jersey
.
Darius
played at Syracuse
University
, setting the team record for tackles by a defensive back with 379. He had a well
deserved reputation as one of the dirtiest hitters in college
football. He was a
Big East All-Conference
player in 1995 and 1996, and also
lettered
in indoor and outdoor
hurdles, graduating in
1997 with a degree in exercise science and a minor in
coaching.
Professional career
Darius was selected 25th overall in the 1998 draft by the
Jacksonville Jaguars, the highest pick ever by the team for a
defensive back. He was the sixth defensive back selected, behind
Tebucky Jones,
Duane Starks, and others. He was named to the
All-Rookie team and led Jaguar defensive backs with 108 tackles in
14 games. In 1999 he switched to strong safety and continued to
sharpen his skills as a defensive force.
In 2004, Darius led the secondary in tackles for a seventh straight
season and posted career highs in forced fumbles and interceptions.
His season ending injury in 2005 stopped his consecutive start
streak at 37.
In 2004, Darius was fined $75,000 for pulling off an extremely
dangerous clothesline tackle on
Green
Bay Packers wide receiver Robert Ferguson. However
Darius later apologized to Ferguson for the incident and never
visited him at the hospital.
[164896] Darius is considered to be one of the
dirtiest players in the NFL. Prior to his release, he had been with
the Jaguars longer than any other active player along with
running back Fred Taylor.
Darius signed a three-year extension on
August
29,
2005 which is good through
2008. However, he tore his
anterior cruciate ligament during
the Jaguars' second game of the
2005 NFL
season and was placed on
injured
reserve.
On November 20, 2008, during a
Monday Night Football game
against the
New York Giants, he
broke his leg and missed the rest of the 2008 season.
On December 14, 2008, Darius was released by the Jaguars.
Donovin signed with the
Oakland
Raiders on January 1, 2009, but was released in the final
roster cuts. He was subsequently signed by the [[Miami
Dolphins|Dolphins], 2007 but was released again in October. He is
now an unrestricted free agent. He currently serves on the
NFL Players Association Executive
Committee.
References
- http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3302312
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