Ryan Tucker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ryan Tucker (born June 12, 1975 in Midland, Texas) is an American football player who currently plays offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns. He was the starting center during the last two seasons at Texas Christian University after moving from left tackle and was a two-time All-Conference selection.

In 1996 he was charged with and plead no contest to assault. "State District Judge Don Leonard sentenced the 22-year-old to a five-year deferred sentence and fined him $5,000. The judge also ordered Tucker to pay $9,677 in restitution and complete 800 hours of community service for his part in the attack".[1]

He was drafted in the 1997 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams and played in Super Bowl XXXVI. On December 1, 2006, the Browns announced that Tucker will miss the remainder of the season with an undisclosed mental disorder. "It is a treatable disorder. Ryan has been battling this condition since before the season began, and has been actively receiving treatment. At this time, it is in his best interest to focus entirely on his medical treatment and concentrate on his recovery," team physician Anthony Miniaci said in a statement.

On March 4, 2007, Tucker told The Cleveland Plain Dealer that he feels "great" and plans on returning to his starting spot next season. "It's a whole new chapter in my life and I'm ready to get on with it. I absolutely plan on coming back and starting for the Browns this season," Tucker told the newspaper. Tucker wouldn't disclose the exact nature of his mental illness."A lot of things have changed as far as medications and things like that, and I haven't had any problems," Tucker told the newspaper. "Everything's been fixed. My family's doing really well, my health is excellent and I feel as good as I ever have." [2]