Charles Rogers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Charles Rogers | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | May 23, 1981 |
| Place of birth | Saginaw, Michigan |
| Position(s) | Wide receiver |
| College | Michigan State University |
| NFL Draft | 2003 / Round 1/ Pick 2 |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 2003–2005 | Detroit Lions |
Charles Rogers (born May 23, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan) is an American football wide receiver, currently a free agent in the NFL. He was originally selected by the Detroit Lions with the second overall pick of the 2003 NFL Draft out of Michigan State University. He is nicknamed "Mister Rogers" after the children's TV personality Fred Rogers.
[edit] High-school years
Rogers attended Saginaw High School and was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. In football, he was a three-time All-State honoree. He graduated from Saginaw High School in 2000.
[edit] College and pro career
Rogers later attended Michigan State, where he became one of the most dominant wide receivers in college football hooking up with teammate Jeff Smoker.
He was drafted second overall in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.
Rogers caught 22 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns during his first five games of the 2003 season, before breaking his collarbone while practicing a speed drill. He was out for the season. In the third play of the 2004 regular season, Rogers suffered another broken collarbone, and was once again out for the season. During the 2005 season, Rogers was suspended 4 games for a third violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. As a result of this violation, the Lions filed a grievance, claiming that his drug suspension violated a clause in his contract, which would mean Rogers would be obligated to return $10 million of the $14.2 million the Lions gave him in bonuses. The grievance is still pending.
Upon his return from suspension, despite the fact that Rogers was deemed healthy, he played only nine games, with three starts, and was declared inactive for four games. He caught 14 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown.
On September 2, 2006, Charles Rogers was released by the Lions. According to Lions coach Rod Marinelli, Rogers simply wasn't good enough to make his team, which values hard work over raw talent. "We picked the men that are right for this football team," said Marinelli. [1]
