Jared Dwight Gaither (born March 18, 1986) 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 wi ...

offensive tackle who played 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 ...

(NFL). He was drafted by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

in the fifth round of the 2007 Supplemental Draft. He played college football at

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Gaither played 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 ...

, and San Diego Chargers.

Early years

Gaither played basketball for his first three years of

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

at Eleanor Roosevelt High School before playing football in his senior year at

Hargrave Military Academy Hargrave Military Academy (HMA) is a private, all-male, military boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia. Hargrave is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Christian values that focuses on a col ...

. He originally verbally committed to the University of South Carolina basketball team, but later changed to football. He played defensive tackle and

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

. He recorded 89 tackles, 9 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 4 passes deflected.

College career

As a

true freshman Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

at the University of Maryland in 2005, Gaither played in all 11 games and started the last 8. He was named a third-team Freshman All-American by

College Football News ''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includ ...

and honorable mention by

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 ...

. He allowed no sacks in 583 snaps played (all at left tackle) and committed 2 penalties. As a sophomore, Gaither played in twelve games and helped the Terps offensive line allow just 19 sacks all season. He was a member of the 2006 preseason watch list for the

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Am ...

, a consensus preseason All-ACC choice, and ranked No. 7 nationally among offensive tackles by

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

Gaither did not participate in 2007 spring practices at Maryland because of academic problems. On June 25, Terps coach

Ralph Friedgen Ralph Harry Friedgen (born April 4, 1947) is a former American football coach. He was most recently the special assistant coach for Rutgers in 2015 after serving as their offensive coordinator in the 2014 season. He was the head coach at the U ...

told reporters that Gaither's grades failed to meet his expectations, that he would not be able to play in 2007 and he would be eligible to return in 2008. Instead, Gaither declared for the NFL's supplemental draft and on July 12 was taken by the

in the fifth round. Gaither took over

Jonathan Ogden Jonathan Phillip Ogden (born July 31, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle and spent his entire career with the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football ...

's starting left tackle role after Ogden's retirement. At the time, Gaither, at 6'9, was one of the tallest players in the NFL, the others being Dennis Roland of the Cincinnati Bengals and Demar Dotson of 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) South division. The cl ...

. During the start of off-season camps for the 2008 NFL season, offensive coordinator

Cam Cameron Malcolm "Cam" Cameron (born February 6, 1961) is an American football coach. He is the former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the LSU Tigers football program. Cameron attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and playe ...

declared Gaither would be the starting left tackle. Despite an early ankle injury during the beginning of training camp, he played surprisingly well and was a big reason for the improved offensive line of the

. On October 4, 2009, he suffered a head injury in a game vs. the New England Patriots and was sent to the hospital. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, and had movement in his arms and legs. In addition, x-rays on his neck and shoulder were negative. Gaither missed all of 2010 after an injury put him on Injured Reserve (IR).

Kansas City Chiefs

On August 11, 2011, Gaither signed with the

. He was waived on November 29, 2011.

San Diego Chargers

On November 30, 2011, Gaither was claimed off waivers by the San Diego Chargers. On March 14, 2012, Gaither signed a 4-year contract with the Chargers. Gaither was released on March 27, 2013.

Personal life

He has advocated for the passage of the FIT Kids Act, federal legislation that would require school districts to report on students' physical activity and to give children health and nutritional information.NFL Players Promoted Increased Physical Education
ESPN, March 19, 2009.(

References

External links

Official Site

Maryland Terrapins bio

Kansas City Chiefs Bio

San Diego Chargers Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaither, Jared 1986 births Living people People from Charles County, Maryland People from Prince George's County, Maryland Players of American football from Maryland African-American players of American football Maryland Terrapins football players American football offensive tackles Baltimore Ravens players Kansas City Chiefs players San Diego Chargers players Sportspeople from the Washington metropolitan area Hargrave Military Academy alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people