Laveranues Coles

Laveranues Leon Coles (/ləˈvɜːrniəs/; born December 29, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Florida State University. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft. A Pro Bowl selection in 2003, Coles also played for the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals.

Laveranues Coles

Coles during his second stint with the Jets
No. 87, 80, 11
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1977-12-29) December 29, 1977 Jacksonville, Florida
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:	Jacksonville (FL) Ribault
College:	Florida State
NFL Draft:	2000 / Round: 3 / Pick: 78
Career history
New York Jets (2000–2002) Washington Redskins (2003–2004) New York Jets (2005–2008) Cincinnati Bengals (2009) New York Jets (2010)
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowl (2003) Curtis Martin MVP Award (2006)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 674 Receiving yards: 8,609 Receiving TDs: 49 Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Coles was born in Jacksonville, Florida. While attending Ribault High School in Jacksonville, Coles played football, basketball, and ran track. In football, he rushed for nearly 5,000 yards in his career, was named to the Blue Chip Dream Team, and was a first team Class 4A All-State selection. In basketball, he was a member of a state championship team as a senior. In track, he recorded a time of 10.6 seconds in the 100 meter and 21.8 seconds in the 200 meter on the Ribault track team. Due to a scandal at Florida State which resulted in Coles's dismissal from the team, he often referred to his high school when introducing himself on Monday Night Football.

College career

On September 29, 1999, during his senior season at Florida State, Coles and teammate Peter Warrick went to a Tallahassee, Florida Dillard's department store and, with the aid of a cashier with whom they were friendly, purchased $412.38 worth of clothing and were charged only $21.40—a discount so large that it is considered shoplifting under Florida law. An off-duty officer saw the event through a surveillance camera, according to police. Coles, Warrick, and the clerk, were arrested for grand theft. On October 22, Coles pleaded guilty to misdemeanor petty theft and was dismissed from the Florida State Seminoles football team.[1] At that year's rivalry game at the University of Florida, Florida Gators fans brought Dillard's bags to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to mock the team. Florida State won the game, and Seminole fans returned the mocking by requesting the bags as souvenirs.

Coles's childhood nickname was "Trouble".[2] Coles was arrested in 1998 for simple battery, suspended for the Seminoles' 1999 season opener versus Louisiana Tech for academic reasons, and was discovered to have accepted a plane ticket from a sports agent's representative in 1999.[2]

Professional career

2000 NFL Combine

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	4.41 s	1.53 s	2.58 s	4.39 s	6.89 s	34 in (0.86 m)	9 ft 7 in (2.92 m)
All values from NFL Combine

New York Jets

Coles was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round (78th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft. Coles' first career touchdown catch came in the Jets' "Monday Night Miracle" victory against the Miami Dolphins on October 23, 2000.

Washington Redskins

After a spectacular 2002 season, Coles signed with the Washington Redskins in the 2002 offseason and admitted that he left the Jets because the Redskins offered him more money. He made the Pro Bowl for the Redskins in 2003.

New York Jets (second stint)

He was traded back to the Jets in 2005 for Santana Moss. During the first year of his second stint with the Jets, Coles revealed that he had been sexually abused between ages 10 to 13 by a man whom his mother, Sirretta married. Coles refused to divulge the man's name. After the abuse was revealed, Sirretta Coles divorced the man, who was later sentenced to nine years in prison. He served about a third of his sentence and was released. He was convicted of another crime and has been imprisoned since 2001 for it.[3]

After a disappointing season in 2005, Coles enjoyed a rebirth in 2006, directly due to the good health of quarterback, Chad Pennington. On December 26, 2006, he caught the last touchdown on Monday Night Football's last game on ABC. Coles was released by the Jets on February 25, 2009.[4]

Cincinnati Bengals

Coles was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals on March 4, 2009. He would agree in principle to a four-year, $28 million contract.[5]

He was released by the Bengals on March 4, 2010, exactly one year after signing with the organization.

New York Jets (third stint)

The Jets announced Coles had been signed to a one-year contract on July 30, 2010. However, his stay would be brief as the team waived Coles after nearly a month on August 29, 2010.[6]

On September 21, 2010, Coles was talked about in the media as an option to fill in for Braylon Edwards, who was charged with a DWI the previous night.[7] Coles contemplated retirement.[8]

On December 4, 2010, the Jets filled their open roster spot by signing Coles to yet another contract reuniting him with the Jets.[9] The roster spot had been vacated when Jim Leonhard was placed on injured reserve with a fractured tibia. Coles was able to rejoin the team in time for their Monday night game against the New England Patriots for Week 13 of the NFL's 2010 season.

NFL statistics

Receiving Statistics[10]

Year	Team	Games	Receptions	Targets	Yards	Yards per Reception	Longest Reception	Touchdowns	First Downs	Fumbles	Fumbles Lost
2000	NYJ	13	22	-	370	16.8	63	1	16	0	0
2001	NYJ	16	59	-	868	14.7	40	7	42	0	0
2002	NYJ	16	89	-	1,264	14.2	43	5	67	1	0
2003	WSH	16	82	-	1,204	14.7	64	6	54	0	0
2004	WSH	16	90	-	950	10.6	45	1	52	1	1
2005	NYJ	16	73	-	845	11.6	43	5	52	1	0
2006	NYJ	16	91	152	1,098	12.1	58	6	52	1	0
2007	NYJ	12	55	89	646	11.7	57	6	35	0	0
2008	NYJ	16	70	117	850	12.1	54	7	44	1	0
2009	CIN	16	43	77	514	12.0	40	5	29	0	0
Career		153	674	435	8,609	12.8	64	49	443	5	1

Returning Stats[10]

Year	Team	Games	Punt Return Attempts	Punt Return Yards	Punts Returned for Touchdown	Punts Fair Caught	Longest Punt Return	Kickoff Return Attempts	Kickoff Return Yards	Kickoffs Returned for Touchdown	Kickoffs Fair Caught	Longest Kickoff Return
2000	NYJ	13	0	0	0	0	0	11	207	0	0	24
2001	NYJ	16	0	0	0	0	0	9	211	0	0	34
2006	NYJ	16	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
2009	CIN	16	0	0	0	0	0	1	14	0	0	14
Career		61	0	0	0	0	0	22	432	0	0	34

Rushing Statistics[10]

Year	Team	Games	Carries	Yards	Yards per Carry	Longest Carry	Touchdowns	First Downs	Fumbles	Fumbles Lost
2000	NYJ	13	2	15	7.5	8	0	0	0	0
2001	NYJ	16	10	108	10.8	20	0	7	1	0
2002	NYJ	16	6	39	6.5	21	0	2	0	0
2003	WSH	16	10	39	3.9	23	0	3	0	0
2004	WSH	16	3	-3	-1.0	7	0	2	0	0
2006	NYJ	16	2	14	7.0	15	0	1	0	0
2008	NYJ	16	2	9	4.5	6	0	0	0	0
2009	CIN	16	2	10	5.0	8	0	1	0	0
Career		153	37	231	6.2	23	0	16	1	0

References

1. Concha, Joe (March 8, 2004). "Top bizarre sports scandals of all-time". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on March 8, 2004. Retrieved October 19, 2007.
2. Prisco, Pete (March 5, 2000). "The only trouble Coles wants to cause is for Jaguars opponents". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved October 19, 2007.
3. "Jets' Coles confides he was sexually abused". ESPN.com. September 19, 2005. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
4. "Source: N.Y. Jets decide to part ways with Coles". ESPN.com. February 25, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
5. Coles has Skins bengals.com, March 4, 2009
6. Cimini, Rich (August 29, 2010). "Jets cut veteran WR Laveranues Coles". ESPN New York. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
7. Cannizzaro, Mark (September 21, 2010). "Expect Jets to play without Edwards on Sunday". New York Post. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
8. Hutchinson, Dave (August 29, 2010). "Ex-Jets WR Laveranues Coles contemplating retirement". The Star Ledger. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
9. Vrentas, Jenny (December 4, 2010). "Former Jets WR Laveranues Coles to re-sign with team". The Star Ledger. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
10. "Laveranues Coles Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved March 31, 2014.

External links

• Florida State Seminoles bio
• New York Jets bio
• Cincinnati Bengals bio