James Whitley (American football)

James Lavell Whitley (born May 13, 1979) is a former American football player.

James Whitley
No. 27, 25
Position:Defensive back
Personal information
Born:(1979-05-13)May 13, 1979
Decatur, Illinois
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Norview High School, Norfolk, Virginia
College:Michigan
Undrafted:2001
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games:25
Tackles:30
Player stats at PFR
Player stats at ArenaFan.com

Whitley was born in Decatur, Illinois, but he attended high school in Norfolk, Virginia. He was a star football player on both defense and offense for Norview High School.[1]

Whitley played college football for the University of Michigan from 1997 to 2000.[2] As a freshman, he played for the undefeated 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team that defeated Washington State in the 1998 Rose Bowl to win a national championship.[3] In December 2000, he was dismissed from the team following an arrest for carrying a concealed weapon.[4] During his four years as a player for Michigan, Whitley had 145 tackles, 42 assists, 6 interceptions, and 21 punt returns for 172 yards.[5]

Whitley played two seasons as a defensive back in the National Football League for the St. Louis Rams (2002–2003) and Green Bay Packers (2003–2004).[6][7] He was waived by the Packers in October 2004 and signed in November 2004 with the Carolina Panthers. However, he did not appear in any games for the Panthers.[8]

In 2009, Whitley was charged with sexually assaulting a woman at her friend's apartment in Pittsfield Township, Michigan.[9] In December 2009, Whitley pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of aggravated assault prior to his trial on more serious sexual assault charges. He was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to undergo anger management counseling and complete 100 hours of community service.[10]

References
  1. "NORVIEW'S PILOT: WHITLEY THIS TWO-WAY STARTER WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES FOR A TROPHY". The Virginian-Pilot. November 8, 1996.
  2. "University of Michigan All-time Rosters Search Page". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28.(Enter Whitley's last name on the search page, and press enter)
  3. "FORMER NORVIEW STAR IS SMELLING THE ROSES WITH MICHIGAN'S TITLE". The Virginian-Pilot. January 10, 1998.
  4. Michael Rosenberg (December 15, 2000). "U-M STAR ARRESTED, DISMISSED JAMES WHITLEY OFF TEAM AFTER WEAPONS CHARGE". Detroit Free Press.
  5. "Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2011.(To access Whitley's record, enter his last name "Whitley" in the main search page. Then click on "Display Stats By Season" to access his game-by-game and season-by-season results.)
  6. "James Whitley". pro-football-reference.com.
  7. "Secondary Gets Help: Whitley Signs With Packers". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. December 11, 2003.
  8. "Panthers Sign Defensive Back". The Robesonian. November 11, 2004.
  9. Cindy Heflin (February 20, 2009). "Former University of Michigan player James Whitley ordered to stand trial on sexual assault charges". Ann Arbor News.
  10. "Former Michigan football player sentenced in assault case". AnnArbor.com. January 24, 2010.
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