Kellen Winslow II
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| Kellen Winslow II | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | July 21, 1983 |
| Place of birth | San Diego, CA |
| Position(s) | Tight end |
| College | University of Miami |
| NFL Draft | 2004 / Round 1/ Pick 6 |
| Team(s) | |
| 2004-present | Cleveland Browns |
Kellen Boswell Winslow II (born July 21, 1983 in San Diego, California) is a professional American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He is the son of Kellen Winslow, a Hall of Fame tight end who played for the San Diego Chargers.
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[edit] University of Miami career
Winslow attended Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego and then the University of Miami, where he was a two-year starter and finished his collegiate career with 119 receptions for 1,365 yards (11.47 yards per reception) and nine touchdowns in 38 games. He also recorded a safety while playing on special teams during his freshman season.
After his junior season, Winslow was selected as a First-Team All-American by the Associated Press. He also won the John Mackey Award as the nation's best collegiate tight end.
[edit] "Soldier" comment
Winslow generated significant national attention following a 2003 University of Miami loss to the University of Tennessee Volunteers. During a sweep play for Miami wide receiver/cornerback Devin Hester, Winslow made a terrific block on two Volunteers, effectively taking both defenders out of the play. Following the block, Winslow stood over both players, taunting injured Tennessee defensive back Corey Campbell. When questioned during the media session following the game Winslow admitted that he had known Campbell was injured but didn't care:
"Yeah, I don't give a hell. It's about this U, man. I don't give a flyin' you-know-what about a Vol. I don't give a damn! He would do the same thing to me. It's war. They don't give a freakin' you-know-what about you. They will kill you. They're out there to kill you. So I'm 'a kill 'em. You write that in the paper. You write that. You make money off that. No, man, I'm pissed. All y'all take this down. I'm pissed, man. We don't care about nobody except this U. We don't. If I didn't hurt him, he'd hurt me. They were gunnin' for my legs. I'm 'a come right back at 'em. I'm a fuckin' soldier!"[1]
Winslow took heavy criticism for the rant since many critics felt it was disrespectful to actual soldiers who were serving on duty in the Iraq War, which had started several months before. On November 10, 2003, Winslow issued a written apology for his comments, writing that: "I meant no disrespect to the men and women who have served, or are currently serving, in the Armed Forces. I cannot begin to imagine the magnitude of war or its consequences."
[edit] 2004 NFL draft
Winslow was drafted by the Cleveland Browns out of the University of Miami with the sixth pick in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Cleveland head coach Butch Davis was also the coach who recruited Winslow to the University of Miami before leaving for the NFL prior to ever coaching Winslow in college.
Somewhat surprisingly, Winslow was not the first University of Miami player selected in the 2004 Draft after draft day speculation that he could become the first tight end drafted number one overall. That honor went to Sean Taylor, who was chosen by the Washington Redskins one selection earlier, with the fifth overall selection.
Winslow would eventually choose power sports agents Carl and Kevin Poston of Professional Sports Planning Inc. (PSP) to represent him at the negotiating table. At the time, the Poston brothers - whose clients at the time also included Orlando Pace, Charles Woodson - seemed an odd choice. Although respected in many circles for their ability to secure hefty contracts for their clients, the pair had had developed difficult working relationships with several teams, league executives and the NFL Players' Association. In March 2006, Carl Poston was suspended for two years by the NFLPA disciplinary committee after admitting that he had not read the contract of Washington Redskins' linebacker LaVar Arrington, which did not include an agreed upon $6.5 million bonus. Arrington would later buy his way out of his Redskins contract to avoid arbitration in the matter. Eventually, the Postons secured a six-year $40 million deal for Winslow, including a $16.5 million signing bonus.
[edit] 2004 leg injury
Winslow was expected to give the Cleveland offense an immediate boost. Two games into his rookie season, however, he suffered a broken right fibula, costing him $5.3 million in incentive bonuses. The injury kept him on the sidelines for the remainder of the year after having only recorded five catches for 50 yards. After two operations on the injured leg, Winslow was supposed to make a full and complete recovery in time for the 2005 season.
[edit] 2005 motorcycle accident
This expectation changed on May 1st, 2005 when Winslow, while riding his Suzuki GSX-R750 motorcycle in a community college parking lot in Cleveland, hit a curb at about 35 mph and was thrown from his bike. Winslow sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and was placed on the "Physically Unable-to-Perform (Non Football Injury)" list for the 2005 season. Winslow also fought off a six-week staph infection that resulted from his knee injury.
While Winslow was contractually obligated by the NFL's standard player contract not to "engage in … any activity other than football which may involve a significant risk of personal injury", and specifically not to ride a motorcycle under his contract with the Browns, he nevertheless purchased the powerful sport bike. Lt. Judy Neel of the Ohio State Highway Patrol reported that Winslow obtained a motorcycle learner's permit April 26 after initially failing a written exam administered in the Garfield Heights district of Cleveland. Initially, it was speculated that the Browns would seek to recoup a pro-rated share of the $6 million signing bonus Winslow received in 2004 and perhaps the entire $4.4 million option bonus he was paid in March 2005, although the Browns later declined to take such action.
[edit] 2006 season
Winslow attended the Browns' 2006 training camp and has pronounced himself ready to play. The Associated Press reported in August 2006 that Winslow said that, even at 90 percent, he was superior to every other NFL tight end. "I hate to be brash", Winslow said. "But I think my 90 percent is still better than every tight end out there." He currently leads all tight ends in receptions for the 2006 season.
In the opening game of the 2006 NFL season, Winslow recorded his first NFL touchdown, scoring on an 18-yard pass from quarterback Charlie Frye. Winslow has become one of the top tight ends in the NFL, as he is in the top 5 in receptions.
Winslow has been the cause of controversy in 2006. During a nationally-televised NFL Network game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 7, 2006, Winslow hit Steelers linebacker James Farrior from behind during a play, drawing criticism from outspoken Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter, who called Winslow a "faggot" during an interview.
Winslow's brother died on October 17, 2006.
