Eric Andrew Wright (born July 24, 1985) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. 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 ...

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

and UNLV. Wright also played for the

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 ...

, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and San Francisco 49ers.

College career

USC Trojans

Wright attended

for two years before attending UNLV. After being redshirted his first year, he was a starter his second year, and started in the

2005 Orange Bowl The 2005 Orange Bowl was the BCS National Championship Game of the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season and was played on January 4, 2005 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The game matched the 2004 USC Trojans football team, USC ...

, where he recorded four tackles and an interception.

UNLV Rebels

Wright transferred to UNLV after being expelled by USC. Police found 136 tablets of

Ecstasy Ecstasy may refer to: * Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness * Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria * Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand outside o ...

and GHB in Wright's apartment while investigating a sexual assault allegation against Wright. Wright sat out the 2005 season due to NCAA transfer guidelines. Wright played one year at UNLV before deciding to declare for the NFL Draft. He was a university studies major.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Wright was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. The Browns acquired the pick from the Dallas Cowboys to select Wright. While he was a projected first round pick, he fell to the second round due to his troubled college past. In Wright's first season with the Browns, he started 13 of 16 games. He recorded his first career interception on October 14, 2007, against Miami Dolphins quarterback Cleo Lemon. He won his first Defensive Player of the Week award after his performance during week 6 of the

2008 NFL season The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now." Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 1, 2009, w ...

against the

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

, where he had a 94-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Detroit Lions

On July 29, 2011, Wright signed with the

. During his one season for the Lions, he started all 16 games and recorded 74 tackles and four interceptions.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On March 14, 2012, Wright signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On July 19, 2013, Wright was traded from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the San Francisco 49ers for a conditional late-round 2014 draft pick . After he failed his team physical, the trade was voided causing his rights to revert to the Buccaneers who subsequently released him.

San Francisco 49ers

On August 8, 2013, Wright signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers. On August 27, 2013, he was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. On June 17, 2014, Wright announced his retirement from the NFL.Niners' Eric Wright retires from football
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References

External links

*
Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Eric 1985 births Living people American football cornerbacks Cleveland Browns players Detroit Lions players San Francisco 49ers players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players UNLV Rebels football players USC Trojans football players Players of American football from San Francisco