Aveion Marquel Cason (born July 12, 1979) is a former

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 with ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

and

kick returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

. He also was a member of the

Florida Tuskers Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...

in the United Football League. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

Early years

Cason attended Lakewood High School in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

. As a junior, he rushed for 980 yards and averaged nearly 38.0-yards per

kickoff return A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in gridiron football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team". The receiving team is then entitled to ''return' ...

. He did not play football during his senior year after transferring to a different school.

College career

Cason accepted a football scholarship from

. As a freshman in 1998, he posted 124 carries for 728 yards and 8

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

s, while making 23 receptions for 230 yards. As a sophomore in 1999, he had 378 carries for 45 rushing yards (third on the team) and 6

s, 34 receptions for 278 yards and 2

s, along with a 28.1-yard average on

s, ranking him seventh in

NCAA Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athleti ...

. As a junior in 2000, he was suspended for the season after being ruled academically ineligible. The next year he declared for the

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

Professional career

St. Louis Rams (first stint)

Cason was signed 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 ...

by the

after the 2001 NFL Draft and was moved to wide receiver. He returned 4 kickoffs for 73 yards in the season opener. He was waived on September 26 and signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

. He was released on October 1.

Kansas City Chiefs

On October 3, 2003, he was signed to the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

Detroit Lions (first stint)

On November 19, 2001, he was signed by the

from the Chiefs'

, to replace an injured

Brian Calhoun Brian Calhoun (born May 8, 1984) is a former gridiron football running back. He also was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin. He is coaching high school track and fiel ...

. He played in the last five games, tallying 11 carries for 31 yards and 4 receptions for 32 yards. In

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, his first career start came in the season opener against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

, making 2 receptions for 37 yards, including a 19-yard catch. He suffered meniscus damage in his right knee during practice on September 19, which required arthroscopic surgery. He was deactivated against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

and the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. He returned to practice on October 7. He led the Lions with a career-high 57 receiving yards on 3 catches against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

, but suffered a right ankle sprain. The injury kept him inactive against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

. A sprained right MCL limited him to two receptions for 17 yards against the N.Y Jets and kept him inactive for the next 3 games. With running back

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

sidelined due to injury, Cason was given the starter job against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, posting a season-high 62 rushing yards on 10 carries (6.2 avg.), while having a run of 40 yards and a career-long reception of 37 yards. During the season, he rushed 26 times for 107 yards (4.1-yard average), had 19 receptions for 88 yards (15.2-yard average) and 2

s, while returning 2 kicks with an average of 24.0 yards. On April 27, 2003, he was traded to the

in exchange for a seventh-round draft choice (#236-Brandon Drumm).

Dallas Cowboys

In 2003, he reunited with Maurice Carthon who was his offensive coordinator with the

. He earned the team's third-down back role over Michael Wiley. In the season opener against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

, he took his first carry 63 yards for a touchdown, the longest run by a Cowboy during the season. He finished the Falcons game with a career-high 77 rushing yards on two carries and also had 2 receptions for 29 yards. He was declared inactive against the

and

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

. He led all running backs with 25 yards on four carries (6.4 yard avg.) against the

on Thanksgiving Day, while adding two receptions for 17 yards. He played in 10 games, before suffering an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament and medial meniscus in his right knee during practice on December 3 and was placed on injured reserve on December 9. He was replaced with rookie Erik Bickerstaff. Cason finished the season with career-highs in carries (40), rushing yards (220) per carry average (5.5), rushing touchdowns (2), kickoff returns (5) and kickoff return yards (81). He also had 17 receptions for 142 yards. He was released on August 31, 2004.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 1, 2004, he was claimed off waivers by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. He was released on September 5.

St. Louis Rams (second stint)

In December 2004, he was signed by the

to provide depth while Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson were limited with bruised knees. He played mostly as a kick returner, making 14 returns for a 22.1-yard average. In

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, Cason rushed for 65 yards and one touchdown. He was not re-signed after the season.

Detroit Lions (second stint)

On November 9, 2006, he was signed as a free agent by the

. Due to an injury to Kevin Jones, he started his first game in a Week 16 loss against the

and rushed for 31 yards on five carries. He was declared inactive in 2 games. On March 7, 2007, he was signed to a one-year contract. He was released on September 1. He was re-signed on September 12. Cason was on the active roster as their kick returner on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

, in place of Eddie Drummond, who had left for the

. He was released on September 25. He was re-signed on October 4. He was cut on October 21. He was re-signed on October 24. On March 5, 2008, he was signed to a one-year contract. He was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

with an ankle injury on August 30. He returned later in the season to appear in 7 games and was mainly used to return kickoffs. On March 9, 2009, he re-signed with the Lions. He was released on September 4.

Florida Tuskers (UFL)

In September 2010, he signed with the

of the United Football League. He was a backup

, tallying 37 carries for 94 yards and one

Personal life

In 2015, his

Trinity Christian School – Cedar Hill Trinity Christian School is a private Christian school founded in 1981. The campus is located at Trinity Church in Cedar Hill, Texas and is affiliated with Trinity Ministries. Trinity School educates students from pre-school and K5 – 12th gr ...

(

Cedar Hill, Texas Cedar Hill is a city in Dallas and Ellis counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located approximately southwest of downtown Dallas and is situated along the eastern shore of Joe Pool Lake and Cedar Hill State Park. Per the 2020 United States ...

) team won the

Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, or TAPPS, is an organization headquartered in the Lone Star Tower at Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas. It was formerly headquartered at the Salado Civic Center in Salado, Texas. Foun ...

Division II state title with a 12–1 record. Cason resigned as the team's coach in 2018. In 2020, Cason and

Don Majkowski Donald "Majik" Vincent Majkowski (born February 25, 1964) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions. College career Following graduation from the F ...

filed a lawsuit against the NFL and the

NFLPA The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director DeM ...

over cuts made to their disability payments. It was dismissed in May 2021 by U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden. "Retired NFLers’ Suit Dismissed as CBA Revote Ruled Out"
''

Sportico Penske Media Corporation (PMC) () is an American digital media, publishing, and information services company based in Los Angeles and New York City. It publishes more than 20 digital and print brands, including ''Variety'', ''Rolling Stone'', ...

'' (May 11, 2021) Retrieved July 28,2021 (

Paywall A paywall is a method of restricting access to content, with a purchase or a paid subscription, especially news. Beginning in the mid-2010s, newspapers started implementing paywalls on their websites as a way to increase revenue after years of ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cason, Aveion 1979 births Living people American football running backs Dallas Cowboys players Detroit Lions players Florida Tuskers players Illinois State Redbirds football players Kansas City Chiefs players St. Louis Rams players High school football coaches in Texas Players of American football from St. Petersburg, Florida