Aaron Douglas Berry, Jr. (born June 25, 1988) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
who is currently a free agent. He played
college football at
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
. He was signed by the
Detroit Lions as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2010. Berry has also been a member of the
New York Jets and the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
of the
NFL and the
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
and the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the
CFL
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
.
College career
Berry's career at the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
began in 2006 as a key contributor on special teams as well as a reserve cornerback. He played in all 12 games and recorded his first two tackles and two pass breakups in a game against UCF.
As a sophomore in 2007, Berry played in all 12 games and started the last 9 games of the season. Throughout the season, Berry recorded 19 tackles and a team-high of two interceptions and tied for second on the team with five PBUs. One of his best performances on special teams and in the secondary was in the win against Syracuse. He averaged 17.7 yards on six punt returns and his 53-yard return at the end of the third quarter put Pitt at the Orange 13. Berry also had four tackles and broke up three passes including Syracuse's desperation pass to the Pitt 5 with one second left. Berry also had strong performances against Cincinnati, where he intercepted a deep ball at the Pitt 17 with 2:58 left, as well as two key tackles and a four-yard sack at Michigan State.
As a junior in 2008, Berry was named All-Big East second-team. He accumulated 41 tackles, one sack, three interceptions, a team-high of 10 PBUs and 76 yards on 14 punt returns (5.4 avg). One of his three interceptions came in the Sun Bowl vs. Oregon State and matched his career high of three PBUs. He had one interception in the Rutgers game and another against Connecticut that he ran back for 52 yards. In the 2008 game against Notre Dame, Berry had a career high nine tackles and followed it up the next game with 7 vs. Iowa. Berry had a four-yard sack against Buffalo, a season-long punt return for 24-years vs. Syracuse, and three PBUs against Louisville.
During his senior year, Berry was a Jim Thorpe Award candidate. While struggling with a shoulder injury, Berry had a combined total of 31 tackles with 25 solo and 6 assisted tackles. He had one interception during his senior year and returned it for 14 yards.
Professional career
Detroit Lions
In 2010, Berry was signed by the Lions as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
. He was cut by the Lions on July 23, 2012.
On August 20, 2012, he was suspended for 3 games.
New York Jets
Berry signed a two-year contract with the
New York Jets on October 1, 2012. During his first season with the Jets, Berry played in seven games and contributed two tackles. He was placed on injured reserve on December 27, 2012.
On July 26, 2013, Berry suffered a torn
ACL during training camp and was placed on injured reserve the following day.
Cleveland Browns
Berry was signed by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
on June 2, 2014. He was waived on September 9, 2014.
References
External links
New York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Aaron
1988 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Players of American football from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
American football cornerbacks
Canadian football defensive backs
American players of Canadian football
Pittsburgh Panthers football players
Detroit Lions players
New York Jets players
Cleveland Browns players
Toronto Argonauts players
Hamilton Tiger-Cats players