Bam Morris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Byron "Bam" Morris (b. January 13, 1972 in Cooper, Texas) is a former American football running back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Morris attended Texas Tech where he won the 1993 Doak Walker Award as the top running back in college football. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 91st overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft (3rd round). His older brother Ron Morris played for the Chicago Bears.
During his NFL career, he would record 3,809 yards in 974 attempts and scored 35 touchdowns during 75 games. He also caught 103 passes for 790 yards and one touchdown. He played for the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX gaining 73 yards in 19 carries. He wore uniform number 33 for the Steelers.
Morris has become more well known for his off field legal troubles than his football prowess. On June 27, 1996, Morris pleaded guilty to felony possession of marijuana in a plea bargain deal in front of a Rockwall County, Texas judge. Police testified that they found 4 kilograms of marijuana and one gram of cocaine in his car during a traffic stop. He was fined US$7,000 and sentenced to 200 hours of community service and six years probation.
He was cut by the Steelers after the guilty plea and signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Ravens. He wore uniform number 33 as a Raven. After two seasons, both marked with suspensions concerning the NFL's substance abuse policy, Morris was released. He signed with the Chicago Bears during training camp but was cut before playing in a regular season game. He then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. He wore uniform number 39 as a Chief.
On November 16, 1997, Morris was arraigned in Baltimore, Maryland after a woman accused him of assault. Morris pleaded guilty in August 2000 to two counts of Federal drug trafficking and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. As part of the plea bargain, Morris admitted to distributing 100 kilograms of marijuana in the Kansas City area between 1998 and 2000. He served his federal sentence at Leavenworth federal prison.
On September 10, 2001, Morris was convicted of violating his parole stemming from his 1996 plea bargain and sentenced to 10 years in a Texas prison. He was released early on July 31, 2004.
In January of 2006, Morris was signed by the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League. The NFL reinstated his eligibility as a player on January 13, 2006. Morris quit Predators training camp the following day stating that he hoped to win a contract with an NFL team.
A mere two months later, on March 9, 2006, Morris signed with the Katy Copperheads of the National Indoor Football League.
