LaVar Arrington explained

LaVar Arrington
Number:56, 55
Position:Linebacker
Birth Date:June 20, 1978
Birth Place:Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:3
Weight Lb:257
High School:North Hills
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
College:Penn State (1997–1999)
Draftyear:2000
Draftround:1
Draftpick:2
Pastteams:
Highlights:
Statlabel1:Total tackles
Statvalue1:417
Statlabel2:Sacks
Statvalue2:23.5
Statlabel3:Safeties
Statvalue3:1
Statlabel4:Forced fumbles
Statvalue4:6
Statlabel5:Fumble recoveries
Statvalue5:7
Statlabel6:Pass deflections
Statvalue6:38
Statlabel7:Interceptions
Statvalue7:3
Statlabel8:Defensive touchdowns
Statvalue8:2
Pfr:ArriLa00
Collegehof:2480

LaVar RaShad Arrington (born June 20, 1978) is an American former football linebacker who played for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected with the second overall pick by the Washington Redskins of the 2000 NFL draft. He was also a member of the New York Giants.

Early life

Arrington was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He played linebacker and running back at North Hills Senior High School in Pittsburgh. After his senior year, he was named the 1996 Parade National Player of the Year, Bobby Dodd National High School Back of the Year[1] the Gatorade Player of the Year and USA Today Pennsylvania Player of the Year. He became the second player in Pennsylvania Class 4-A history to rush for more than 4,000 career yards, with 4,357 on 711 carries and 72 touchdowns. He played in the 1997 Big 33 Football Classic, the annual game between Pennsylvania and Ohio's best high school football players.[2] In basketball, he was recruited to play basketball for Georgetown, UMass, and North Carolina.[3]

Also a standout sprinter, Arrington was on the school's track & field team, where he recorded personal-best times of 10.85 seconds in the 100 meters and 23.14 seconds in the 200 meters. He also had top-jumps of 1.96 meters in the high jump and 6.76 meters in the long jump.[4]

He was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame on June 24, 2011.[5]

College career

While attending Penn State University, Arrington played for coach Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 1997 to 1999. His signature play with the Nittany Lions came during a game against Illinois. On a fourth and short yardage play, Arrington anticipated the snap count and jumped over the offensive line to tackle the runner in the backfield. The play became known as "The LaVar Leap".[6] Arrington's tendency for spectacular plays and his cover appearance on the Sports Illustrated 1999 College Football Preview Issue led many to mention him as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate.[7] Arrington received several honors during his college career, including the Chuck Bednarik Award, Dick Butkus Award, and Lambert Award in 1999. He was an All-Big Ten selection, a first-team All-American in 1998, and a consensus first-team All-American in 1999.[8] Arrington finished ninth in balloting for the 1999 Heisman Trophy. He left Penn State after his junior season to enter the NFL draft.

On December 11, 2014, the Big Ten Network included Arrington on "The Mount Rushmore of Penn State Football", as chosen by online fan voting. Arrington was joined in the honor by John Cappelletti, Jack Ham, and Shane Conlan.

Professional career

Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins chose Arrington with the second overall pick, in the 2000 NFL draft, and he played for the Redskins from to .[9] After four seasons with the Redskins, Arrington signed an eight-year, $68 million contract extension. His agent Carl Poston was accused of neglecting to inspect the final revision of the contract, in which $6.5 million worth of bonuses contained in earlier drafts were missing. Poston was eventually suspended for two years by the National Football League Players' Association (NFLPA) over the mishandling of Arrington's contract;[10] Arrington did not support the NFLPA's decision.[11] Arrington's final two seasons with the Redskins was marred by knee injuries and conflicts with coaches Joe Gibbs and Gregg Williams. In March 2006 Arrington paid the Redskins $4.4 million to buy his free agency.

New York Giants

In April 2006, Arrington agreed to a seven-year, $49 million contract with the New York Giants. He was injured in week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys and missed the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. On February 12, 2007, he was released by the New York Giants.[12]

Motorcycle accident and retirement

Arrington's agent Kevin Poston initially stated that his client intended to play during the 2007 NFL season, saying "things could change at some point, but as of this moment LaVar is focused on playing this season."[13]

However, on June 18, 2007, Arrington was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in suburban Maryland. He was on the Route 50 off-ramp of the Capital Beltway when he lost control of his 2007 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14, striking a guardrail. Arrington was rushed to Prince George's Medical Center, in serious but stable condition.[14] Arrington sustained a broken right forearm, broken lower vertebrae, and deep cuts to his leg. He was issued two citations, one for failure to control speed to avoid a collision, the other for operating a vehicle without a class license that contributed to a crash. A September 23, 2007, New York Daily News article confirmed his retirement.[15]

Career statistics

Legend
Led the league
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Sfty Int Yds Lng TD PD FF FR Yds TD
WAS161155 4510 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0
WAS141499 82 17 0.5 0 3 120 67 1 9 0 2 0 0
WAS161695 70 25 11.0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 3 1 1
WAS161690 77 13 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 11 6 2 -7 0
WAS42 15 11 4 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
WAS13847 39 8 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
NYG6516 14 2 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0
Career 85 72 417 338 79 23.5 1 3 120 67 1 38 6 7 -6 1

After football

thumb|200px|right|Arrington at Joint Base Balad in 2010

Broadcasting career

Arrington started working on pregame and postgame shows for Comcast SportsNet before the Redskins' 2007 season week 3 loss to the Giants. He became a permanent member of the Comcast team on October 14 for the Green Bay Packers game.

He returned to Comcast SportsNet's on-air lineup for week 3 of the 2008 NFL season, appearing on the pregame and postgame shows, and on Washington Post Live. Comcast also featured a segment entitled "Life on the Sidelines with LaVar Arrington" during its Redskins Kickoff program on game days.[16]

Arrington did a weekday afternoon radio talk show in Washington, DC with DJ Chad Dukes, titled "The LaVar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes." The inaugural show aired on July 20, 2009, on 106.7 The Fan. He also hosts his own weekly sports show titled "SportsWeek with Lavar Arrington" on local Washington television station DC50.[17]

On July 10, 2014, it was announced that Arrington would be joining NFL Network's NFL AM program.[18]

In 2019 Arrington began working as a football analyst on FS1 on the "Speak For Yourself" sports talk program.[19]

Entrepreneurship

Arrington formed a sports agency, Leap Management, LLC, in 2008. The firm's first clients were 2009 NFL draft prospects Aaron Maybin, Derrick Williams, Josh Gaines, and Tyrell Sales.[20]

Arrington founded Xtreme Procision (XP) in 2010, a state-of-the-art football training system aimed at developing the world's next generation of football players.[21] Xtreme Procision offers football training camps nationwide, as well as football training products with visual target zones to aid in accelerating development.[22]

Personal

LaVar Arrington was named after LeVar Burton, following the actor's portrayal of Kunta Kinte in the 1977 television miniseries Roots.[23] He has an older brother, Michael, who played basketball at Slippery Rock University and a younger brother, Eric. His father, Michael, became an ordained minister after he retired from the military. His mother, Carolyn, is a special education teacher in the Pittsburgh public school system. Arrington lives in Los Angeles County, California with his wife Trishia. The couple have four children.[24]

Arrington opened a restaurant named The Sideline in Landover, Maryland on January 30, 2008.[25] In March 2009 one man was killed and six other people were injured after an argument ended in a burst of gunfire just outside the main entrance to the restaurant. The restaurant went bankrupt and closed in December 2009.[26]

Arrington appeared in several television commercials for Eastern Motors with fellow athletes Carmelo Anthony, Clinton Portis, Sean Taylor, and Antawn Jamison.[27] He appeared on a 2002 episode of the TLC program While You Were Out, where he helped redesign a room for his brother, Michael. Arrington served as a judge for ESPN's Dream Job.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Touchdown Club of Atlanta . Touchdown Club of Atlanta . December 11, 2016.
  2. Web site: NFL Alumni . Big33 website . January 2, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071206094702/http://www.big33.org/nflalumni.htm . December 6, 2007.
  3. http://www.psu.edu/sports/football/profiles/arrington.html
  4. Web site: Lavar Arrington | Penn State | Redskins LB . October 18, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141024040307/https://www.trackingfootball.com/players/lavar-arrington-7800/ . October 24, 2014 .
  5. Web site: Trio of Nittany Lions Set For Induction into WPIAL Hall of Fame . Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics . June 22, 2011 . October 3, 2011.
  6. News: Doc Five: Most memorable hits in college football – No. 4, The LaVar Leap. Schwab. Frank. May 7, 2013. Yahoo! Sports. August 12, 2014.
  7. Web site: Big Ten weaklings fighting back . . Ambrogi . Mark . October 20, 1999 . January 2, 2008.
  8. 2011 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 11 (2011). Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  9. Web site: 2000 NFL Draft Listing . 2023-03-19 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  10. Web site: NFLPA Suspends Carl Poston, Files New Disciplinary Complaint . SportsBusiness Journal . Mullen . Liz . July 27, 2006 . March 10, 2010 .
  11. News: NFLPA suspends agent Poston for two years . Associated Press . July 28, 2006 . March 10, 2010 .
  12. News: Giants release former Pro Bowler Arrington. ESPN. Associated Press. August 12, 2014.
  13. News: Redskins Insider - LaVar Update. La Canfora. Jason. The Washington Post. August 12, 2014.
  14. News: Arrington Injured in Motorcycle Accident . February 17, 2013 . June 18, 2007 . .
  15. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/2007/09/23/2007-09-23_lavar_arrington_gives_first_interview_si.html LaVar Arrington gives first interview since near-fatal crash
  16. Web site: Former Washington Redskins find new positions . Washington Business Journal . Plumb . Tierney . September 19, 2008 . September 22, 2008 .
  17. DC50, Sports, SportsWeek . Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  18. News: WashingtonPost.com. LaVar Arrington joining NFL Network. Dan. Steinberg. July 10, 2014. July 27, 2014.
  19. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/media/2020/11/30/lavar-arrington-host-new-fox-sports-radio-show/6462403002/ LaVar Arrington, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Plaxico Burress set to host new Fox Sports Radio show
  20. Web site: Leap Management Clients . Leap Management, LLC. . April 17, 2009.
  21. Web site: About Us Xtreme Procision. www.xtremeprocision.com. October 22, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160108221529/https://www.xtremeprocision.com/about-us/. January 8, 2016.
  22. Web site: Camps Xtreme Procision. www.xtremeprocision.com. October 22, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160108221529/https://www.xtremeprocision.com/camps/. January 8, 2016.
  23. Book: Hyman, Jordan. Game of My Life: Penn State. August 12, 2014. 2006. Sports Publishing LLC. 9781596700543. 186–.
  24. Web site: LaVar does guest shot at old digs . . Elfin . David . September 24, 2007 . August 12, 2014.
  25. Web site: Lavar Arrington's Sideline Sports Bar – Finally Open in Largo, Md. at The Blvd. . PG Chic (Prince George's County, MD) . February 2, 2008 . February 2, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080207120233/http://www.pgchic.com/2008/02/02/lavar-arringtons-sideline-sports-bar-finally-open-in-largo-md-at-the-blvd/ . February 7, 2008 .
  26. News: Arrington's restaurant Sideline sidelined for good . The Washington Post . December 26, 2009 . January 6, 2010 .
  27. Web site: Redskins Surprisingly Effective Car Salesmen . Deadspin (Gawker Media) . January 9, 2006 . January 2, 2008 .