Laveranues Leon Coles (; born December 29, 1977) is an American former professional

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 ...

player who was a wide receiver for 11 seasons 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), primarily with the

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

. 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 ...

for the

Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivis ...

. He was drafted by the

in the third round of the

2000 NFL Draft The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15– 16, 2000, at the Thea ...

. A

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

selection in

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, Coles also played for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

and

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

Early years

Coles was born in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

. While attending Ribault High School in Jacksonville, Coles played

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 ...

, and ran track. In football, he rushed for nearly 5,000 yards in his career, was named to the Blue Chip Dream Team, and was a first team Class 4A All-State selection. In basketball, he was a member of a state championship team as a senior. In track, he recorded a time of 10.6 seconds in the 100 meter and 21.8 seconds in the 200 meter on the Ribault track team. Due to a scandal at Florida State which resulted in Coles's dismissal from the team, he often referred to his high school when introducing himself on ''

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...

''.

College career

On September 29, 1999, during his senior season at Florida State, Coles and teammate

Peter Warrick Peter L. Warrick (born June 19, 1977) is an American former college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football at Florida State University, and was reco ...

went to a

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...

Dillard's Dillard's, Inc. is an upscale American department store chain with approximately 282 stores in 29 states and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Currently, the largest number of stores are located in Texas with 57 and Florida with 42. The ...

department store and, with the aid of a cashier with whom they were friendly, purchased $412.38 worth of clothing and were charged only $21.40—a discount so large that it is considered

shoplifting Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

under Florida law. An off-duty officer saw the event through a surveillance camera, according to police. Coles, Warrick, and the clerk, were arrested for grand theft. On October 22, Coles pleaded guilty to misdemeanor petty

theft Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

and was dismissed from the

football team. At that year's rivalry game at 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 Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

fans brought Dillard's bags to

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (in full Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium), Coles was arrested in 1998 for

simple battery Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the act of creating apprehension of such contact. Battery is a specific common law offense, although the term is used more generally to refer t ...

, suspended for the Seminoles' 1999 season opener versus

Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...

for academic reasons, and was discovered to have accepted a plane ticket from a sports agent's representative in 1999.

Professional career

2000 NFL Combine

New York Jets

Coles was drafted by the

in the third round (78th overall) of the

. Coles' first career touchdown catch came in the Jets' " Monday Night Miracle" victory 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 ...

on October 23, 2000.

Washington Redskins

After a spectacular 2002 season, Coles signed with the

in the 2002 offseason. He said he left the Jets because the Redskins offered him more money. He made the

for the Redskins in 2003, after catching 82 passes for 1,204 yards, while playing the majority of the season with a fractured toe. It was the most receptions by a Washington player in a single season since

Art Monk James Arthur Monk (born December 5, 1957) is a retired American football wide receiver who played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He is considered by many NFL players, coaches and analysts t ...

had 86 in 1989.

New York Jets (second stint)

He was traded back to the Jets in 2005 for

Santana Moss Santana Terrell Moss (born June 1, 1979) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons. He played college football for the University of Miami, where he earned All-American hon ...

. During the first year of his second stint with the Jets, Coles revealed that he had been

sexually abused Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assau ...

between ages 10 to 13 by a man whom his mother, Sirretta married. Coles refused to divulge the man's name. After the abuse was revealed, Sirretta Coles divorced the man, who was later sentenced to nine years in prison. He served about a third of his sentence and was released. He was convicted of another crime and has been imprisoned since 2001. After a disappointing season in 2005, Coles enjoyed a rebirth in 2006, partly due to the good health of quarterback,

Chad Pennington James Chadwick Pennington (born June 26, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Marshall, where he won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, and was selecte ...

. On December 26, 2006, he caught the last touchdown on ''Monday Night Footballs last game on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. On September 28, 2008, now with

Brett Favre Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...

at quarterback, Coles caught 8 passes for 105 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 56-35 win over 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 ...

. That season, Coles tied his career high season touchdown mark that he set in 2001, with 7 touchdowns. Coles was released by the Jets on February 25, 2009.

Cincinnati Bengals

Coles was signed by the

on March 4, 2009. He would agree in principle to a four-year, $28 million contract. On January 9, 2010, Coles caught 6 passes for 48 yards and a touchdown in a 24-14 loss to his former team, the Jets, in the first round of the playoffs. He was released by the Bengals on March 4, 2010, exactly one year after signing with the organization.

New York Jets (third stint)

The Jets announced Coles had been signed to a one-year contract on July 30, 2010. However, his stay would be brief as the team waived Coles after nearly a month on August 29, 2010. On September 21, 2010, Coles was talked about in the media as an option to fill in for

Braylon Edwards Braylon Jamel Edwards (born February 21, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Michigan, earned unanimous All-American honors, and was recognize ...

, who was charged with a DWI the previous night. Coles contemplated retirement. On December 4, 2010, the Jets filled their open roster spot by signing Coles to yet another contract reuniting him with the Jets. The roster spot had been vacated when

Jim Leonhard James Andrew Leonhard (born October 27, 1982) is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the interim head coach for the Wisconsin Badgers football team. Leonhard played college football at Wisconsin and professionally ...

was placed on injured reserve with a fractured tibia. Coles was able to rejoin the team in time for their Monday night game 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 ...

for Week 13 of the NFL's 2010 season.

NFL career statistics

Receiving Statistics Returning Stats Rushing Statistics

References

External links

Florida State Seminoles bio

New York Jets bio

Cincinnati Bengals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coles, Laveranues 1977 births Living people Jean Ribault High School alumni Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida American football wide receivers Florida State Seminoles football players New York Jets players Washington Redskins players Cincinnati Bengals players National Conference Pro Bowl players Ed Block Courage Award recipients