Shawne Merriman

At 39 years old, Shawne Merriman has this physical status:

Shawne DeAndre Merriman (born May 25, 1984), also known as "Lights Out," is a former American football linebacker.

He played college football at Maryland and was drafted 12th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft.

In his first three seasons, he received NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award and had?39 1/2 quarterback sacks, as well as two All-Pro picks.

His next three seasons were marred by injuries, and the Chargers cut Merriman midseason in 2010.

He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills as a kid, but he only played sparingly with the Bills due to continuing injuries.

He was released by the Bills before they re-signed him mid-season.

Early life

Merriman grew up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. At Frederick Douglass High School, where he rendered four opposing players unconscious in a single game, three in the first half and one in the second half.

Merriman spent three years with both the varsity football and basketball teams. Merriman was named one of the top five basketball defenders in the Washington, D.C. area by The Washington Post. He was named by the Associated Press as the first team all-state and named Maryland Defensive Player of the Year for his football performances during his senior year. In high school, he had a rough end.

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College career

Despite being heavily recruited, Merriman stayed in-state for college and attended the University of Maryland, where he competed for the Maryland Terrapins football team. Merriman played in 13 games and finished third on the team with 5 sacks during his freshman season in 2002.

The bulk of his sophomore season was plagued by injuries, but he never missed a game. In his junior year, he was introduced to the ACC All-Conference team and received the Iron Terp award for the "strongest pound for pound player" on the Maryland football roster, earning the coveted trophy.

His 41.5" vertical leap in 2003 was the highest by a Maryland defensive lineman to that point.

Professional career

Merriman was drafted in the 1st round (12th overall) in the 2005 NFL Draft from the University of Maryland by the San Diego Chargers. He was chosen from the New York Giants as part of the Rivers-Manning trade in the 2004 NFL Draft.

The Giants selected Philip Rivers (ranked 4th overall in the 2004 Draft) and their 1st round pick for the following year (amongst others) for the right to sign Eli Manning, who had been chosen by the San Diego Chargers with the 1st overall pick of the year. Manning had made it clear he did not want to play for the Chargers in a similar manner as John Elway was selected by the Baltimore Colts in 1983.

The Giants' draft pick was the 12th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Merriman was drafted by the Chargers as a result of the team's pick.

Merriman signed a five-year, $11.5 million contract with $9 million in guarantees and $4 million in incentives on August 1, marking a long holdout period.

Merriman began his 2005 rookie year on the inactive list and missed out on a 10-day absence from training camp. He did not break the starting lineup until week 7, but he did get 6 sacks in his first 4 starts. After playing for the San Diego Chargers in their 3–4 defensive scheme, he was voted into the Pro Bowl as an OLB, the same position he played at the University of Maryland. In week 15, Merriman's best game of the year came as the Chargers handed the Indianapolis Colts their first loss of the season. Merriman finished with 2 sacks and two tackles for a loss, one of which stopped Peyton Manning from losing by six yards on 4th and goal. Shawne Merriman received significant national media coverage during this game and was named Pro Bowl in the following week.

In 2005, the Chargers would go 9-7, defeating both the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and the 14-0 Indianapolis Colts.

Merriman was named with the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award on January 4, 2006. He received 282 votes from a team of 50 NFL writers and broadcasters. He beat Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who received 1612 votes, Cincinnati linebacker Odell Thurman, 4, and Dallas linebacker DeMarcus Ware with one. Merriman played in the 2006 NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 12, 2006. Despite losing, Merriman made three tackles and compelled one fumble, causing one to forfeit. Merriman said, "I enjoyed myself the whole week." "I topped it off today by playing the entire game with all the guys I grew up watching." If I just keep working hard, it'll be my first of many.

According to CNN, Merriman will face a four-game suspension for breaching the NFL's steroid policy on October 22, 2006. Chris Mortensen of ESPN cited a source who confirmed that the suspension was "definitely for steroid use, not a'supplement-type' suspension." Mortenson's report came under scrutiny later by Merriman's partner, David Cornwell, who called the study "irresponsible and erroneous." No player's suspension hearings are expected until the suspension is determined, according to NFL league rules. Cornwell later said that the drug he tested positive for was anabolic steroid nandrolone, and that Merriman believed it was in a contaminated nutritional supplement he took regularly. Merriman never knew the supplement.

The incident resulted in the passing of a rule that prohibits a player who tests positive for steroids from being selected to the Pro Bowl or winning any performance awards in the year in which they were positive. The statute is commonly referred to as the "Merriman Rule." However, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has attempted to distance the program from being attributed to the player, stating that Merriman passed clean on 19 of the 20 random tests for performance-enhancing drugs since joining the league.

Merriman started his season with bangs and an interception in his first two games. Merriman went on to earn 8.5 sacks and make ESPN's mid-season All-Pro team before settling an appeal against an NFL enforced suspension for steroids as a result of a drug testing positive. Merriman led the league in sacks with 173 in 2005, despite playing only 12 games. He also had four forced fumbles in his career (2 against both the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos). Merriman finished third in the 2006 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year competition, behind Jason Taylor and Champ Bailey, after being tested positive for using steroids, which is in violation of the league's drug use policy. Merriman may not have been eligible for the award because of his suspension, Taylor said. According to a note, Merriman reportedly gave Taylor a "lights Out" t-shirt and a box of popcorn, saying he loved watching him play in the playoffs. In 2006–2009, Merriman, nicknamed "Lights Out," performed a dance to celebrate each of his 17 sacks. Members of the New England Patriots began performing Merriman's "Lights Out" dance on the field in honor after the Chargers were eliminated in the playoffs by the New England Patriots that season. LaDainian Tomlinson, a Merriman's Chargers teammate, referred to the activity as showing no class and being disrespectful.

In 2007, he announced that he would no longer attend this festival. However, Merriman performed the dance in week 4 after sacking quarterback Damon Huard from Kansas City. Merriman said he decided to do the sack dance again due to the urge of his teammates and to help the Chargers re-establish the Chargers' slow 1–3 record.

Merriman finished the season with 68 total tackles, 54 solo and 14 assisted tackles, all assisting, as well as 14 assisted tackles, who were consistent in his normal role by gaining 12.5 sacks. His prowess was evident throughout the season, when it was said that his 9.5 sacks from Week 9 to week 13 were seen as a decrease in results, a point to which Merriman expressed admiration. In the AFC Championship game, the Chargers ended the season with a loss to the New England Patriots.

Merriman was named in the Pro Bowl for the third year in a row. In three seasons, there had been a total of 39.5 sacks. His 39.5 sacks are the most for any player from 2005 to 2007, beating out Jason Taylor by just one full sack. In his first two seasons, he was also named First-Team All-Pro in his first two seasons, while earning his second-Team All-Pro pick in his third season.

Merriman had trouble with his knee and was out of practice for more than two weeks during the 2008 training camp. Initial reports indicated that his recovery would take a few weeks, but Merriman revealed a tear in both his posterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament ligament. Doctors warned him that if he avoids having surgery, he would suffer from a potentially career-threatening injury. Merriman retained his decision whether or not to play while getting several different professional viewpoints, including those of Birmingham's well-known surgeon James Andrews. Mike Tirico of ESPN announced in the Chargers' Monday Night Football game that Merriman went to Miami, Florida, to get a final opinion on his knee. Merriman told Fox Sports on August 27 that he will disregard the doctors' instructions and will go through the surgery, saying that he simply wants to play and that the career-ending prospects are "misquoted."

Merriman would indeed have knee surgery to fix his torn knee ligaments and be placed on the Injured Reserve, missing the remainder of the 2008 NFL Season.

Merriman was suffering from a traumatic foot injury as well as his painful knees. For the season, he had only four firings.

Merriman expressed worry that the Chargers might no longer love him at the start of the calendar year, but said that if possible, he would remain a Charger. The San Diego Chargers announced on March 4, 2010 that they would place their first and third round franchise tender on Merriman, effectively keeping him as a Charger. Shawne Merriman signed tender and reported to camp on August 13, 2010, after two weeks of holdout.

Merriman was put on injured reserve and, as per NFL rules, he would be released when he returned to action. Merriman had re-injured his calf against Oakland and had been limited to just five weeks of the season. Merriman was suspended by the Chargers on November 2, 2010. In his three seasons as San Diego, he had only four sacks.

The day after being released from the Chargers, Merriman was released from waivers by the Buffalo Bills.

Merriman suffered an Achilles injury in his first workout with his new team on November 10. Merriman was put on a season-ending injury reserve by the Bills on November 27, following subpoena.

On January 1, 2011, the Bills announced that he had signed a two-year contract extension worth $10.5 million. The contract contained $5 million in guarantees, with $3 million of his 2012 earnings included.

Merriman was on the Injured Reserve list for the second season in a row after suffering a partially torn Achilles tendon. Merriman finished the season with nine tackles and a sack in five starts. Merriman was moved from outside linebacker to defensive end during the 2012 offseason due to the change from 3–4 to 4–3. Merriman was the team's first name on August 20.

Merriman signed a pact to return to the Bills on October 15, 2012.

Merriman resigned on March 5, 2013.

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