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 ...

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

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 ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

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 ...

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

2001 NFL Draft The 2001 NFL Draft was the 66th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting," was held at the ...

Super Bowl XXXIX Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles to decide the National Football League ( ...

2004 NFL season The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League. With New England as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005. Hurricanes forced the rescheduling o ...

Kathleen High School Kathleen Senior High School is the second oldest of four high schools in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was originally housed north of its present location, at the site of the current Kathleen Middle School.Bruins. In his collegiate debut in 1998, he had four receptions for 108 yards, including a 79-yard

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 ...

from

Cade McNown Cade Brem McNown (born January 12, 1977) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. He played college football at UCLA, where he won the ...

, as well as a 34-yard

touchdown pass In gridiron football, a touchdown pass is a forward pass, pass thrown from the passer (usually the quarterback) to a Wide receiver, receiver that results in a touchdown being scored. The pass can either be caught in the end zone itself, resulting i ...

to Brian Poli-Dixon. Mitchell broke his

femur The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...

the following week against

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

and missed most of the season. Limited by a knee cartilage injury throughout the 1999 season, he finished with 38 receptions for 533 yards. As a junior in 2000, Mitchell was a

Fred Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...

finalist and earned first-team All-

Pacific-10 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...

(Pac-10) honors at the conclusion of the season. In the 2000 Sun Bowl, he had nine catches for a Sun Bowl record of 180 yards. He declared for the 2001 NFL Draft following the 2000 season and finished his college career with 77 catches for 1,494 yards and nine touchdowns. Mitchell was drafted by the Eagles with the 25th selection in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He began the 2001 season as the fourth wide receiver, but surpassed Na Brown to become the team's slot receiver in week eight. When the Eagles signed

Antonio Freeman Antonio Michael Freeman (born May 27, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL), most notably for the Green Bay Packers. He attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Virginia Tech. College ...

before the 2002 season, Mitchell became the fourth receiver again and caught twelve passes the entire year. Mitchell became the slot receiver once again during the 2003 season, after Freeman left. In the NFC Divisional Playoff Game 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 ...

, with the Eagles facing a 4th and 26 situation, he caught a 28-yard pass from

Donovan McNabb Donovan Jamal McNabb (born November 25, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before his NFL career, he played football and b ...

to help lead the team to a win in overtime. He finished the 2003 season with a career-high 35 catches for 498 yards and two touchdowns. The presence of

Terrell Owens Terrell Eldorado Owens (; born December 7, 1973), nicknamed T.O., is an American football wide receiver for the Knights of Degen of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. Regar ...

in 2004 led to limited opportunities for Mitchell to catch passes and he showed his frustration on and off the field. When Owens went down with an ankle injury towards the end of the season, Mitchell replaced him as the starter and had a two-touchdown performance in the Divisional Playoff Game against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

. After the game, Mitchell said, "I just want to thank my hands for being so great." In the week prior to Super Bowl XXXIX against the

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 created controversy by offending members of the Patriots' secondary, including

Rodney Harrison Rodney Scott Harrison (born December 15, 1972) is an American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots. He was selected in the fifth round of th ...

. He caught one pass for 11 yards in the Super Bowl and was released by the Eagles on May 6, 2005. 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 ...

signed him shortly after, but he declined to have

arthroscopic surgery Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the ...

on his injured knee and he was released before the start of the season. After his NFL career ended, Mitchell bought a

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...

restaurant in Lakeland in 2008, but the venue was closed in September 2009. Mitchell served time in prison for tax fraud from 2013 to 2016.

Early years

Mitchell grew up as the son of a

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...

. He attended

Kathleen High School Kathleen Senior High School is the second oldest of four high schools in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was originally housed north of its present location, at the site of the current Kathleen Middle School.lettered Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

in cross country,

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

,

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

. In baseball, Mitchell was used as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

and played

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

. He played in the Polk County East–West Senior All-Star Game in 1997 for the West squad. He had a .388

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, three

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s, and eleven

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBI). Mitchell was drafted by the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venu ...

in the 47th round of the

1997 Major League Baseball Draft The 1997 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1997. A total of 1607 players were drafted over the course of 92 rounds. First round selections ...

after graduating from Kathleen. He had brief contract negotiations with the Devil Rays, but decided to attend college instead of signing with a professional team. He was a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

in basketball, and scored 11 points in the 1997 Class 4A boys' high school basketball state championship for Kathleen as the Red Devils won their first ever title. Mitchell, who had three steals in the game, was called for a

technical foul In basketball, a technical foul (colloquially known as a "T" or a "tech") is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between opposing players on the court, or is a foul by a ...

after he went out-of-bounds and punched a

cooler A cooler, portable ice chest, ice box, cool box, chilly bin (in New Zealand), or esky ( Australia) is an insulated box used to keep food or drink cool. Ice cubes are most commonly placed in it to help the contents inside stay cool. Ice packs a ...

. In football, he contributed as a wide receiver,

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 ...

, punt returner, holder for

kicker Kicker or The Kicker may refer to: Sports * Placekicker, a position in American and Canadian football * ''Kicker'' (sports magazine), in Germany * Kicker, the German colloquial term for an association football player * Kicker, the word used i ...

Paul Edinger Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

, and

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. Mitchell earned ''

The Ledger ''The Ledger'' is a daily newspaper serving Lakeland, Florida, and the Polk County area. The paper was founded on August 22, 1924, as the ''Lakeland Evening Ledger''. In 1927, it bought its main competitor, the morning ''Lakeland Star-Telegram ...

'' second-team all-Lakeland area honors as a

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

following the 1995 season. Mitchell visited the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

,

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

, the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

, and

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

before he committed to the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

to play football for the Bruins. He chose to play on the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

mainly because of the opportunities presented for his career after football.

College career

While attending the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, Mitchell played for the

UCLA Bruins football The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles, in college football as members of the Pac-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Bruins play their home games at the ...

team from 1997 to 2000. He sat out the 1997 season by taking a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

and subsequently lengthening his college football eligibility. In his first game, a 49–31 win over

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

on September 12, 1998, Mitchell threw a 34-yard

touchdown pass In gridiron football, a touchdown pass is a forward pass, pass thrown from the passer (usually the quarterback) to a Wide receiver, receiver that results in a touchdown being scored. The pass can either be caught in the end zone itself, resulting i ...

to Brian Poli-Dixon and had four catches for 108 yards and one touchdown pass (79 yards) from

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Cade McNown Cade Brem McNown (born January 12, 1977) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. He played college football at UCLA, where he won the ...

. He had one

rushing attempt Rushing means a sudden forward motion, or a surge or onslaught. Rushing may refer to: Tactics * Rush (gridiron football), advancing the ball by running on offense. On defense, charging the quarterback or kicker is a pass rush. * Human wave att ...

for 30 yards on a

reverse Reverse or reversing may refer to: Arts and media * ''Reverse'' (Eldritch album), 2001 * ''Reverse'' (2009 film), a Polish comedy-drama film * ''Reverse'' (2019 film), an Iranian crime-drama film * ''Reverse'' (Morandi album), 2005 * ''Reverse'' ...

, 78 yards on three

kickoff returns 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 position ...

, and 17 yards on three punt returns. He was named the

Pacific-10 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...

Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the game. On September 19, Mitchell had surgery on his left

femur The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...

after suffering a

fracture Fracture is the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displa ...

at the end of a kickoff return in the first quarter of a 42–24 win over

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

the same day. Mitchell was expected to miss the rest of the season. However, after a "remarkable" recovery, according to a member of the UCLA medical staff, Mitchell was able to play for eleven

snaps Snaps ( ) is a Danish and Swedish word for a small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage taken during the course of a meal. A ritual that is associated with drinking snaps is a tradition in Scandinavia, especially in Denmark and Sweden, where ...

in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1999. He threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to

Durell Price Durell Price was a football player for the UCLA Bruins and Sylmar High School Spartans between 1993 and 1999. Despite being highly regarded out of college, he was never drafted and did not make it to the NFL except for a short stint with the S ...

on a

flea flicker A flea flicker is an unorthodox play, often called a " trick play", in American football which is designed to fool the defensive team into thinking that a play is a run instead of a pass. It can be considered an extreme variant of the play actio ...

play in the first quarter of the loss to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. In the summer prior to the 1999 season, Mitchell and Poli-Dixon trained with

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

receivers

Randy Moss Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...

and

Cris Carter Graduel Christopher Darin Carter (born November 25, 1965) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987–1989), the Minnesota Vikings (1990–2001) and the Mia ...

in Florida. Mitchell, Poli-Dixon,

Danny Farmer Daniel Steven Farmer (born May 21, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) and at UCLA. In 2000, he was drafted in the fourth round (103rd overall pick) by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Aft ...

, and the rest of the UCLA receiving corps called themselves "The Birds" for their ability to "fly all over the field." Mitchell was hampered by a knee

cartilage Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints as articular cartilage, and is a structural component of many body parts including the rib cage, the neck an ...

issue throughout his redshirt sophomore season. In his first career start, replacing the injured Farmer in the season-opener against Boise State, Mitchell had one catch for 11 yards from

Drew Bennett Andrew Russell Bennett (born August 26, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football at UCLA. Be ...

, one kickoff return for 15 yards, and four punt returns for 33 yards. In the next week in a loss against the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...

, Mitchell again started in place of Farmer and gained 31 yards on two reverses, had four kickoff returns for 73 yards and completed a pass for 18 yards. In a 35–21 win over

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

on September 18, Mitchell, again starting in place of Farmer, caught nine passes for 149 yards, both career-highs. Mitchell caught 10 passes for 103 total yards in the next four games. He led the team in receiving for three consecutive weeks to follow: in his sixth start of the season, a 55–7 blowout loss to

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

, he caught five passes for 58 yards; in the Bruins' third-straight loss, this time to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, he had 42 yards on four receptions; and in a 23–20 win in

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...

against

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, he successfully received four passes for 82 yards, including a 43-yard pass from Ryan McCann. In the final game of the season, against

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 ...

, Mitchell caught five passes for 88 yards. He had a total of 38 catches for 533 yards with no touchdowns and six starts in 1999, and finished 15th in the Pac-10 in receptions with 3.5 per game and 17th in receiving yards with 48.5 per game. Mitchell played baseball for the Bruins in the offseason prior to the 2000 football season. He was teammates with future

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

second baseman

Chase Utley Chase Cameron Utley (born December 17, 1978), nicknamed "The Man" and "Silver Fox", is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 16 seasons, primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies. He ...

and introduced Utley to his future wife, Jennifer Cooper. Mitchell was drafted in the

2000 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections Compensation picks Background The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...

in the 50th round by the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

. Utley said of Mitchell's decision not to play baseball professionally, "he chose the right sport in football, that's for sure. He was a good batting practice hitter—that's about it. He wasn't quite the same once the game got going." The Bruins earned the

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

Conference Championship with Mitchell as a member in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

. Mitchell earned preseason first-team All-Pac-10 honors from ''

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' and ''

Lindy's Sports ''Lindy's Sports'', also known as ''Lindy's'', is a sports magazine. It was established in 1982, and is located in Birmingham, Alabama. Lindy Davis is its publisher and founder, having started the magazine when he was a 26-year-old student at Sa ...

'' before the 2000 season as he prepared to take over the starting wide receiver job following Farmer's graduation. Mitchell, along with teammate Poli-Dixon, was named to the

Fred Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...

watchlist for the best wide receiver in college football during the preseason. In the season-opener against third-ranked

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, Mitchell threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Poli-Dixon on a

trick play A trick play, also known as a gadget play, gimmick play or trickeration, is a play in gridiron football that uses deception and unorthodox tactics to fool the opposing team. A trick play is often risky, offering the potential for a large gain or ...

in the first quarter and made a 46-yard touchdown reception from McCann in the third quarter. He finished the game with four catches for 91 yards in the upset win. In the 24–21 win over Fresno State on September 9, Mitchell led the team in receiving with six receptions for 58 yards and a 20-yard touchdown pass from McCann. Mitchell's catches went into the double-digits against third-ranked

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, as he had ten receptions for 137 yards in the 23–20 upset win on September 16. On September 23, in the third quarter of a 29–10 loss against Oregon, Mitchell caught what appeared to be a touchdown in the corner of the

end zone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field. ...

, but was ruled out-of-bounds by the officials. The Bruins settled for a field goal on the drive and Mitchell explained after the game that "I knew it was a touchdown, you knew it was a touchdown, everybody does. The ref reeknew it too because he looked at me like he was sorry." On the next series, however, Mitchell caught a 54-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Bennett. Mitchell finished the game with eight receptions for 158 yards. In a 38–31 comeback win over Arizona State on September 30, he caught two touchdown passes from Cory Paus in the third quarter, one of which was for 80 yards, and had four total catches for 125 yards in the game. On October 14, in a triple-overtime loss to California, Mitchell made eight receptions for 167 yards and caught a 35-yard touchdown from Paus in the fourth quarter. Mitchell was named to the BCSfootball.com Midseason All-America team after posting 38 receptions for 736 yards and six touchdowns midway through the season. Over the next four games, Mitchell recorded 26 catches for 438 yards, including a seven-catch, 185-yard game against Stanford on November 4. He caught a 41-yard touchdown pass from Paus in the game. In a 38–35 loss to USC on November 18, Mitchell broke Farmer's single-season record of 1,274 yards in 1998 with 1,314 yards. He made four receptions for 140 yards and a four-yard touchdown in the game, and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Poli-Dixon. Mitchell was named a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award in late October. He was named a finalist for the award in late November alongside

Antonio Bryant Antonio Bryant (born March 9, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for University of Pittsburgh, and was recognized as an All-American and Fred Biletnikoff Award ...

of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and Marvin Minnis of

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

, but lost out to Bryant. Mitchell earned first-team All-America honors by the

Walter Camp Football Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...

following the season, as well as first-team All-Pac-10 honors. He earned CNNSI.com honorable mention All-America honors. He was named a winner of UCLA's Henry R. "Red" Sanders Award for Most Valuable Player, the winner of the George W. Dickerson Award for Outstanding Offensive Player against USC, and a winner of the Team Captain Award at the UCLA football award banquet. In the 2000 Sun Bowl against

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

on December 29, Mitchell made nine receptions for a Sun Bowl-record 180 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown catch. Though the Bruins lost the game 21–20, Mitchell said Badgers

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

Jamar Fletcher "couldn't stop [him]." Mitchell was called for two taunting penalties on Fletcher, but still won MVP honors following the game. Mitchell finished the season with 77 catches for 1,494 yards and nine touchdowns. In October 2000, Mitchell told the ''Eugene Register-Guard'', a newspaper in Eugene, Oregon, that he was "definitely returning" for his senior season. By mid-November, however, he told the Associated Press that he was "leaning to staying, but nothing's firm." Mitchell instead chose to forgo his senior year and entered the NFL Draft in early January 2001. He stated, "I have had a great time, but it's time for me to give something back to my family." Mitchell said he would be quieter in the NFL: "You won't hear no more trash talking from Freddie Mitchell, those are the big boys, I'm just a little kid again. I'm humble." He had 119 catches for 2,135 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career as a Bruin.

Professional career

Pre-draft

After Mitchell declared for the

2001 NFL Draft The 2001 NFL Draft was the 66th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting," was held at the ...

, one NFL scout told the ''Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel'' in February, "I don't think he's as fast as people in the press try to say he is. He's absolutely fearless over the middle but he prefers to trap the ball instead of to extend for it. I don't think he has nearly the explosion to be considered a first." Mitchell was also criticized by scouts for his small frame and potential character issues. Draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. rated Mitchell as the 16th-best prospect in the draft following the NFL Scouting Combine in which he ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, and called him a player on the rise. Kiper also rated him as the fifth-best wide receiver in the draft and projected Mitchell to be drafted in the mid-first round following his performance at the Combine. In rating players several times leading up to the draft, Kiper re-watched game film of each player and adjusted their rankings accordingly. In his March 5 mock draft, Kiper projected Mitchell to be drafted by 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 ...

with the tenth overall selection. He ranked Mitchell as the 18th-best player in the draft on March 30. NFLDraftScout.com projected Mitchell to be drafted in the second round and rated him as the eighth-best wide receiver in the draft. Kiper ranked him the fourth-best wide receiver in the draft on April 2. In his April 10 mock draft, Kiper projected Mitchell to be drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 24th overall selection. Ed Bouchette of the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' ranked Mitchell as the sixth-best wide receiver in the draft. Mitchell hired Tom Condon of IMG (company), IMG Football as his Sports agent, agent leading up to the draft.

Philadelphia Eagles

2001 season

Mitchell was selected by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

in the first round (25th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. He was the fifth wide receiver taken in the draft. He worked out with his new quarterback

Donovan McNabb Donovan Jamal McNabb (born November 25, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before his NFL career, he played football and b ...

in Arizona and Los Angeles before mini-camp started. Because of NCAA rules regarding graduation, Mitchell was unable to attend the Eagles' mini-camp until after UCLA's senior class graduated. He studied the Eagles' playbook in the meantime. He asked the NFL for an exemption, but the league refused, and he arrived for his first practice on June 18, 2001. Mitchell signed a five-year, $5.5 million contract with the Eagles on July 26, in time for the start of Training camp (National Football League), training camp. During training camp, Mitchell practiced as a backup behind James Thrash and Todd Pinkston. Special teams coordinator John Harbaugh asked Mitchell if he was willing to practice as a kickoff returner in practice, but Mitchell declined, citing the fracture of his femur on a kickoff return in college. Nonetheless, he still practiced on the kickoff coverage team, and on the punt coverage team as a Gunner (American football), gunner. Mitchell suffered a hip pointer during the morning session on July 31, but returned for the afternoon session without limitation. A hamstring injury limited him at the end of training camp. Before the start of the 2001 NFL season, 2001 season, head coach Andy Reid said, "Mentally, [Mitchell is] right there. He's picked everything up, he's a smart kid. He's wide-eyed, ready to learn. He's done a nice job when he's been in there." Mitchell began the season as the team's fourth wide receiver behind Thrash, Pinkston, and Na Brown. Mitchell's difficulty in learning the complex playbook, as well as the lingering hamstring injury, limited him in the Eagles' first six games of the season. In his first career NFL game, a week one matchup against the 2001 St. Louis Rams season, St. Louis Rams on September 9, Mitchell played in a few

snaps Snaps ( ) is a Danish and Swedish word for a small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage taken during the course of a meal. A ritual that is associated with drinking snaps is a tradition in Scandinavia, especially in Denmark and Sweden, where ...

but was not thrown to. Mitchell was listed as "questionable" due to his hamstring injury before the start of the week two game against the 2001 Seattle Seahawks season, Seattle Seahawks on September 23, and was not activated. Against the 2001 Dallas Cowboys season, Dallas Cowboys in week three on September 30, Mitchell returned to the field and caught his first pass, which went for no gain. In weeks four and six, against the 2001 Arizona Cardinals season, Arizona Cardinals and 2001 New York Giants season, New York Giants, respectively, Mitchell recorded no catches. In week seven against the 2001 Oakland Raiders season, Oakland Raiders, he made a catch for 15 yards. Due to Brown's ineffective play, Mitchell replaced him as the Eagles' slot receiver in week eight against the Cardinals and had four receptions for 62 yards. In a week nine game against the 2001 Minnesota Vikings season, Minnesota Vikings on November 11, Mitchell caught three passes for 38 yards and had one rushing attempt for 12 yards. He caught two passes for 15 yards and had one rush for a loss of 16 yards in week ten against the Cowboys. Mitchell was listed as "probable" on the team's injury report due to a shoulder injury before a week eleven game against the 2001 Washington Redskins season, Washington Redskins, but did not record any catches in the game. He made three receptions for 60 yards in a week twelve win over the 2001 Kansas City Chiefs season, Kansas City Chiefs on November 29, and Reid said, "Every week we're giving Freddie a little bit more responsibility and he's coming along very well right now." In a week thirteen game against the 2001 San Diego Chargers season, San Diego Chargers, Mitchell caught one pass for five yards and attempted a pass off of a reverse that was knocked down. Against Washington in week 14, Mitchell caught his first career touchdown pass, a four-yard reception in the second quarter. He had two catches for 27 yards in the game. Mitchell caught two passes in each of the next two games for a total of 61 yards. Mitchell made his first two career starts in week seventeen and in a wild card playoff game win against the Buccaneers. He did not record any receptions in either game. Against the 2001 Chicago Bears season, Chicago Bears in a divisional playoff game win on January 19, Mitchell caught two passes for 14 yards. In the NFC Championship Game against the Rams on January 27, Mitchell caught one pass for two yards. A pass intended for him on a fourth-down play was intercepted by Rams defensive back Aeneas Williams to clinch the win for St. Louis. Mitchell finished the season with 21 receptions for 283 yards and one touchdown.

2002 season

After the Eagles signed

Antonio Freeman Antonio Michael Freeman (born May 27, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL), most notably for the Green Bay Packers. He attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Virginia Tech. College ...

to a one-year contract in August 2002, Mitchell was demoted to the fourth wide receiver behind Pinkston, Thrash, and Freeman. Mitchell mainly contributed on special teams for the Eagles throughout the 2002 NFL season, 2002 season. In the first fifteen weeks of the season, Mitchell caught a total of six passes for 53 yards as a backup. Against the 2002 Dallas Cowboys season, Cowboys in week sixteen, Pinkston left the game due to turf toe, and Mitchell caught two passes for 17 yards in his place. Mitchell started in place of Pinkston in the last regular season game against the 2002 New York Giants season, Giants on December 28, and led the team in receiving with four catches for 35 yards. Mitchell only caught twelve passes for 105 yards over the entire season. It was after this dismal performance, despite having the benefit of Pro Bowl

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Donovan McNabb passing to him, that Mitchell began to be labeled as a "Draft bust, bust."

2003 season

Freddie Mitchell, Jon Runyan, and Neal McCoy in 2003

Mitchell competed with rookie Billy McMullen for the third wide receiver position in 2003 NFL season, 2003 after Freeman left the Eagles following the 2002 season. He eventually beat out McMullen for the slot receiver job. Eagles staff, players, and media called Mitchell one of the most improved players in training camp. Donovan McNabb commented that Mitchell's "offseason workouts as well as his mindset has been a whole lot different." In the first four weeks of the season, Mitchell caught six passes for 55 yards. Mitchell had one catch for 29 yards against the 2003 Washington Redskins season, Redskins on October 5, and he recovered a Redskins onside kick to clinch the win for the Eagles. He had one reception for 27 yards in a game against the 2003 Dallas Cowboys season, Cowboys in week six. Mitchell started in week seven in place of Pinkston against the 2003 New York Giants season, Giants but recorded no catches. Against the 2003 New York Jets season, New York Jets in week eight, he had two catches for 29 yards. In week nine against the 2003 Atlanta Falcons season, Atlanta Falcons, Mitchell caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from McNabb and finished with two catches for 43 yards. He made seven receptions in the next two games for 83 yards. Against the New Orleans Saints in week twelve, Mitchell started and made two receptions for 24 yards. In weeks thirteen and fourteen, he had a combined six catches for 98 yards. On December 15, in a week fifteen game against the 2003 Miami Dolphins season, Miami Dolphins, Mitchell threw his first touchdown pass, a 25-yard pass to Brian Westbrook, and caught two passes for 30 yards in the 34–27 win. Against the 2003 San Francisco 49ers season, San Francisco 49ers in week sixteen on December 21, Mitchell made two catches for 23 yards and caught an eight-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter of a week seventeen game against the Redskins on December 27. He had four catches for 47 yards in the game. Mitchell's most significant play, according to Philadelphia media and fans, came on January 11, 2004, in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game against the Packers. Late in the game, with the Eagles losing by three points and facing a 4th and 26 situation, Mitchell caught a 28-yard pass for a first down. The Eagles tied the score on the same drive and won the game in overtime. Mitchell had another catch for nine yards in the game. In the NFC Championship Game on January 18 against the Carolina Panthers, he caught four passes for 38 yards in the loss. Mitchell had 35 catches for 498 yards and two touchdowns in 2003.

2004 season

With the Eagles' acquisition of wide receiver

Terrell Owens Terrell Eldorado Owens (; born December 7, 1973), nicknamed T.O., is an American football wide receiver for the Knights of Degen of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. Regar ...

and the departure of Thrash, Mitchell kept his role as the slot receiver in 2004 NFL season, 2004. Peter King (sportswriter), Peter King said Mitchell had "a great training camp" and that he "might be having the best camp of any player I've seen this summer." He made seven receptions in the first four weeks of the season for a total of 118 yards receiving, including three catches for 71 yards against the 2004 Detroit Lions season, Detroit Lions in week three. He started against the 2004 Carolina Panthers season, Panthers on October 17 in week six but did not record any catches. In the following three weeks, Mitchell only had two receptions for 31 yards, with both catches coming against the 2004 Cleveland Browns season, Cleveland Browns in week seven. His most notable catch of the season was a 60-yard reception during the Eagles' November 15, 2004, ''Monday Night Football'' game against the 2004 Dallas Cowboys season, Cowboys. This catch is remembered primarily for the manner in which McNabb extended the play by eluding the Cowboys' pass rush for 14.1 seconds before eventually throwing to Mitchell. Over the subsequent four weeks, Mitchell had one reception in each game for a combined 54 yards. He began to openly voice his frustration over the limited role he continued to play in the Eagles' offense due to Owens' prominence. At one point during the season, after he made a catch, Mitchell would point to his wrist as if to say "it's about time." In a week fifteen game against the Cowboys, Owens suffered an ankle injury and was expected to miss the remainder of the season. Mitchell, who suffered a Quadriceps, quad contusion during the game, did not make a catch against Dallas, but was named the starter in Owens' place opposite Pinkston. Against the 2004 St. Louis Rams season, Rams in week sixteen, Mitchell caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from McNabb in the first quarter and finished the game with two receptions for 28 yards. In the final game of the regular season against the 2004 Cincinnati Bengals season, Cincinnati Bengals, Mitchell had six receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. He finished the season with only 22 catches. In a divisional playoff game against the Vikings on January 16, 2005, Mitchell caught a two-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and celebrated by feigning to pull his pants up, a reference to the touchdown celebration by Vikings' wide receiver Randy Moss, who pretended to pull his pants down to Mooning, moon Green Bay fans the week before and was heavily criticized for doing so. Mitchell recovered an L. J. Smith fumble in the endzone for a touchdown in the second quarter, and finished the game with a team-high five receptions for 65 yards. In a press conference after the game, Mitchell said, "I just want to thank my hands for being so great." He had two receptions for 20 yards against the 2004 Atlanta Falcons season, Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game on January 23. In the game, Mitchell sported a well-publicized Mohawk hairstyle#Classic (1970s–1980s), frohawk.

=Super Bowl controversy

= The Eagles finished the 2004 season with a 13–3 record and earned a trip to

Super Bowl XXXIX Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles to decide the National Football League ( ...

, where they were to play the American Football Conference, AFC champion

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 ...

. During the week leading up to the game, Mitchell sat for a short ESPN interview conducted by Dan Patrick (sportscaster), Dan Patrick. Asked to identify the members of the Patriots' secondary, Mitchell claimed he did not know them by name, only by number, and then deliberately stated each of their numbers incorrectly. Finally, he said he "had something" for Safety (American football position), safety

Rodney Harrison Rodney Scott Harrison (born December 15, 1972) is an American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots. He was selected in the fifth round of th ...

. Harrison responded by calling Mitchell a "jerk." The normally tight-lipped Patriots head coach Bill Belichick later said of Mitchell, "[a]ll he does is talk. He's terrible, and you can print that. I was happy when he was in the game." Mitchell caught only one pass for 11 yards in the 24–21 loss. After the Super Bowl, Mitchell continued to criticize the Patriots, as well as Belichick, saying that the way the Patriots reacted reminded him of "little girls."

Later career

Mitchell held out from the Eagles' mini-camp in late April 2005, with Andy Reid stating, "I did not want him here." Mitchell was released from the team on May 6. He finished his career with the Eagles with 90 receptions for 1,263 yards and five touchdowns. Mitchell worked out for 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 ...

on June 6, 2005, following his release from the Eagles. He signed with the Chiefs on June 17 after Az-Zahir Hakim decided against signing with the team. Mitchell did not receive a signing bonus. He began practicing with the team on the last day of mini-camps, June 18, and received extra practice with the coaches the following week. He suffered a knee injury during practice on July 30 and was scheduled to undergo

arthroscopic surgery Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the ...

the following week, but declined to go through with it. He was released on September 2 due to concerns about his knee. Mitchell elected to have knee surgery on September 6 following his release. Mitchell worked out for several teams after his release from the Chiefs, but did not sign a contract with any of them. He worked out for 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 ...

on October 25, 2005, the Dallas Cowboys on August 6, 2006, the Cleveland Browns on October 11, 2006, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League on February 11, 2007, the Tennessee Titans on July 26, 2007, and the Baltimore Ravens on May 29, 2008. The Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League expressed interest in signing Mitchell in January 2006, but president Ron Jaworski, a former Eagles quarterback, had difficulties contacting him.

Personal

Mitchell's first cousin is former running back Rod Smart, who played on the Eagles with Mitchell in 2001. Mitchell enjoys country music. Mitchell had several nicknames during his tenure in Philadelphia. These included "Fast Freddie," the "Sultan of Slot," "First Down Freddie," "FedEx, FredEx" (claiming he "always delivers"), the "People's Champ," and "Hollywood." While with the Eagles, Mitchell was a resident of Moorestown, New Jersey. Mitchell appeared on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' while on UCLA's campus, deliberately answering questions incorrectly. He appeared on ''A Dating Story'', a reality television show, in May 2002. In the episode, Mitchell took Tiffany Schmid, a model in the Philadelphia area, to Great Adventure, Great Adventure Amusement Park for their date. Mitchell, as well as several other NFL players, received threatening hate mail in 2003, apparently due to his appearance on the reality show with Schmid as a mixed-race couple at the time. In January 2011, Mitchell appeared on Bravo (US TV channel), Bravo's ''The Millionaire Matchmaker'', a dating show in which Patti Stanger sets millionaires up to find love. Mitchell's fiancée left him after Super Bowl XXXIX in February 2005 after they had been together for two years. In 2008, Mitchell returned to Lakeland and bought a local

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...

restaurant called "Brothers' Bar-B-Que." In February 2009, Mitchell was under investigation when a package containing of marijuana was delivered to his business. Mitchell was briefly detained, but was not charged. The restaurant was closed briefly in June for violations, but reopened shortly thereafter. On September 3, 2009, the restaurant was closed and Mitchell was named in a suit for failure to make payments on the business. Mitchell officially lost the restaurant in September 2009 after a court ruling. In December 2009, Mitchell was pulled over for speeding in suburban Philadelphia. Due to an outstanding warrant for failure to pay child support, he was arrested on charges of being a fugitive from justice, and was later released on $250,000 bail. Ready For LIfe Group Photo with Executive Director and Children

Ready For LIfe Group Photo with Executive Director and Children

Mitchell turned himself in to authorities on March 12, 2012, after being Indictment, indicted on federal Tax evasion in the United States, tax fraud charges. He was Arraignment, arraigned on March 22 on the charges, and a warrant for his arrest in Indiana for failure to pay child support led to his incarceration in Orange County, Florida. In May 2012, Mitchell filed a lawsuit against a married couple, who were defendants in his previous charges, citing fraud, breach of contract, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Mitchell pleaded guilty on March 8, 2013, to one count of conspiring to file a false tax claim with the federal government. At a hearing on October 24, 2013, in Orlando, Florida, he claimed that his crime stemmed from concussions he suffered Concussions in American football, during his career in the NFL, adding that he had headaches, insomnia, and memory loss. That memory loss was cited as a possible reason for his failing to pay child support in that case as well. His attorneys asked the judge in the case that Mitchell only be sentenced to community service and probation. On October 29, 2013, he was sentenced to serve 37 months in prison. He began his sentence on December 6, 2013. On May 4, 2012, Mitchell participated in a charity golfing event to benefit the Palm Beach State College Foundation. He rang the ceremonial Liberty Bell in Philadelphia before the start of a National Basketball Association game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors on December 22, 2018. In September 2021, Mitchell was affected by Hurricane Ida, after his home was flooded.

References

External links

UCLA Bruins football bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Freddie 1978 births Living people African-American players of American football All-American college football players American football wide receivers People from Moorestown, New Jersey Sportspeople from Lakeland, Florida Philadelphia Eagles players Players of American football from Florida UCLA Bruins baseball players UCLA Bruins football players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople