Eric Andrew Wright (born July 24, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football for the USC Trojans and UNLV Rebels.
Wright also played for the Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and San Francisco 49ers.
College career
USC Trojans Wright attended the University of Southern California (USC) for two years before attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). After being redshirted his first year, he was a starter his second year, and started in the 2005 Orange Bowl, where he recorded four tackles and an interception.
UNLV Rebels Wright transferred to UNLV after being expelled by USC. Police found 136 tablets of Ecstasy and GHB in Wright's apartment while investigating a sexual assault allegation against Wright. Wright sat out the 2005 season due to NCAA transfer guidelines. Wright played one year at UNLV before deciding to declare for the NFL draft. He was a university studies major.
Professional career
Cleveland Browns Wright was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2007 NFL draft. The Browns acquired the pick from the Dallas Cowboys to select Wright. While he was a projected first round pick, he fell to the second round due to his troubled college past.
In Wright's first season with the Browns, he started 13 of 16 games. He recorded his first career interception on October 14, 2007, against Miami Dolphins quarterback Cleo Lemon. He won his first Defensive Player of the Week award after his performance during week 6 of the 2008 NFL season against the New York Giants, where he had a 94-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Detroit Lions On July 29, 2011, Wright signed with the Detroit Lions.Detroit Lions sum up first official practice: 'Crisp' MLive.com July 29, 2011 During his one season for the Lions, he started all 16 games and recorded 74 tackles and four interceptions.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers On March 14, 2012, Wright signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Bucs sign Carl Nicks, Eric Wright
On July 19, 2013, Wright was traded from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the San Francisco 49ers for a conditional late-round 2014 draft pick . After he failed his team physical, the trade was voided causing his rights to revert to the Buccaneers who subsequently released him.
San Francisco 49ers On August 8, 2013, Wright signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers. On August 27, 2013, he was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list.
On June 17, 2014, Wright announced his retirement from the NFL.Niners' Eric Wright retires from football
NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high
Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2007 CLE 14 13 76 71 5 1.0 1 1 0 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 2008 CLE 16 16 66 61 5 0.0 3 3 131 1 94 13 2 3 -2 0 2009 CLE 16 16 65 57 8 0.0 2 4 74 0 47 14 0 0 0 0 2010 CLE 13 10 42 36 6 0.0 2 1 0 0 0 9 0 1 11 0 2011 DET 16 16 75 68 7 0.0 3 4 49 0 22 16 1 0 0 0 2012 TAM 10 10 38 33 5 0.0 0 1 60 1 60 7 0 1 0 0 2013 SFO 7 0 7 7 0 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Career 92 81 369 333 36 1.0 11 15 314 2 94 72 3 5 9 0
Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2011 DET 1 1 7 5 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2013 SFO 2 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Career 3 1 7 5 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
References
External links
Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio UNLV Rebels bio USC Trojans bio