Yukota "Ko" Simpson (born November 9, 1983) 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 ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the

2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with add ...

. He played college football at

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. He has also played for the Detroit Lions.

Early life

Simpson was born in

Rock Hill, South Carolina Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fifth-largest city in the state. It is also the fourth-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte, Concord, and Gastonia (all located in North Carolina, ...

and attended Castle Heights Middle School and Rock Hill High School where he helped lead the team to a Class AAAA State Championship playing on both offense and defense. He signed a

letter of intent A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a heads of agreement, term sh ...

with South Carolina in 2003, but did not enroll until spring of 2004 under then

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Lou Holtz.

College career

In his freshman season, Simpson recorded 50 solo tackles, 11 assists and six interceptions. Against

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, in only his second collegiate game, he intercepted a David Greene pass and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown. He was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Gamecocks' win over

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

which included a fumble recovery returned 57 yards for a touchdown. His six interceptions led the Southeastern Conference and he was named Freshman of the Year in the SEC by the

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, becoming the first South Carolina player to ever win the award. As a sophomore, Simpson had 103 total tackles, two fumble returns and an interception. He was consensus All-SEC and named a Football Writers Association All-American.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

Simpson was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the

. On September 11, 2007, Simpson was placed on injured reserve.

Detroit Lions

Simpson was traded to the Detroit Lions for a seventh round pick on September 4, 2009. On November 25, Simpson was placed on injured reserve with a torn patella with a separated MCL. He was released by the Lions on September 4, 2010.

NFL statistics

Personal life

On January 1, 2009 Simpson was arrested by a

police officer for hindering police while they were attempting to break up an unruly crowd. According to the police report, Simpson verbally abused officers.Bills Simpson Asks for a Program to Erase Charges
Yahoo Sports, February 5, 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Ko 1983 births Living people People from Rock Hill, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina American football safeties African-American players of American football South Carolina Gamecocks football players Buffalo Bills players Detroit Lions players Rock Hill High School (South Carolina) alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people