Perrish Eugene Cox (born January 10, 1987) 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 with ...

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 ...

and

return specialist 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 ...

. He was drafted by the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

in the fifth round of the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...

. 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 ...

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

Early years

Cox attended University High School in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...

, where he was a standout on both sides of the football. As a senior, Cox recorded 27 tackles and led the team with nine interceptions. On offense, he had 47 catches for 670 yards and 12 touchdowns. He earned first-team Class 4A all-state honors, first-team all-Central Texas honors, and played in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Also a standout

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete, Cox was one of the state's top performers in both sprints and jumps. As a sprinter, Cox had a personal-best time of 21.55 seconds in the

200-meter dash The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

, and in jumps, he posted bests of 7.56 meters (24-7) in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

and 14.60 meters (47-9) in the

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

. Considered a four-star recruit by ''

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

'', Cox was listed as the No. 8 cornerback prospect in the nation. He chose Oklahoma State over

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, and

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

College career

In his

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 ...

year at Oklahoma State, Cox became the first Cowboy since

Barry Sanders Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL), from 1989 to 1998 for the Detroit Lions. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and ...

to open a season with a kickoff return for a touchdown when he went 96 yards against

Missouri State Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...

. Playing both on defense and special teams, Cox had 24 tackles on defense while breaking up five passes. His 595 kickoff return yards in 2006 represent the third best single-season total in school history. Cox became a starter during his sophomore year, as he started the last eight games of the regular season at cornerback. He tied for second on the team with two interceptions while breaking up eight passes, and was also credited with 42 tackles. Cox averaged 21.5 yards on 31 kickoff returns and his 631 kickoff return yards are second best for Oklahoma State in a single season. As a junior, Cox again returned the first kickoff of the season 90 yards for a touchdown against

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

. He finished the season with 32 tackles, eight pass break-ups, and two interceptions. Cox entered his senior season just 110 kickoff return yards short of the Big 12 career record. In November 2009, he was named one of the twelve semifinalists for the 2009

Jim Thorpe Award The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986. It is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, the award became sponsored by Paycom ...

Professional career

2010 NFL Draft

Cox was considered one of the best cornerbacks available in the

. His draft stock dropped after a slow

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

at the NFL Combine, but he was able to improve his workout numbers at OSU's Pro Day.

Denver Broncos

Cox was drafted by the

in the fifth round of the

with the 137th overall pick. He played one year for the team and was released on September 3, 2011.

San Francisco 49ers

Cox signed with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

on a two-year deal on March 13, 2012. At the end of the 2012 season, Cox and the 49ers appeared in

Super Bowl XLVII Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

. In the game, he contributed on special teams, but the 49ers fell to 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 its ...

by a score of 34–31. Cox was released by the 49ers on November 12, 2013 to make room on the active roster for returning linebacker

Nick Moody Nick Moody (born January 29, 1990) is a former American football inside linebacker. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State University and played safety an ...

Seattle Seahawks

Cox was signed by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

on November 26, 2013. He was released by the Seahawks on November 27, 2013. On December 11, 2013, Cox re-signed with the Seahawks, after a season-ending injury to safety

Jeron Johnson Jeron Johnson (born June 12, 1988) is a former American football strong safety. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Boise State. Professional career Seattle Seahawks Johnson ...

. He was once again released by the Seahawks on December 27, 2013.

San Francisco 49ers (second stint)

On December 30, 2013, Cox re-signed with the 49ers after an injury suffered by Carlos Rogers following the 23-20 victory 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 ...

Tennessee Titans

On March 14, 2015, Cox signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. On November 28, 2016, Cox was released by the Titans.

Seattle Seahawks (second stint)

On January 18, 2017, Cox signed with the Seahawks after an injury suffered by

DeShawn Shead DeShawn Anthony Shead (born June 28, 1989) is a former American football cornerback and current coach. He is a defensive assistant/assistant defensive backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He signed with th ...

following the 36–20 loss to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

in the Divisional Round of the 2016 playoffs. On May 9, 2017, he was released by the Seahawks.

Legal issues

In August 2009, Cox was arrested for driving with a suspended license. He was also suspended from the Cotton Bowl in his senior season by head coach

Mike Gundy Michael Ray Gundy (born August 12, 1967) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Oklahoma State University. Gundy played college football at Oklahoma State, where he played quarterback from 1986 to 1989. ...

for violating the team curfew rule. Cox was arrested on December 9, 2010, for felonious sexual assault and taken to a Douglas County jail. He was released on December 10 on a $50,000 bond. His sexual assault charges were classified as class three and class four felonies which carry a sentence of two years to life in prison. He faced a possible sentence of ten years to life if convicted. However, on March 2, 2012, Cox was found not guilty of sexual assault charges in Douglas County, Colorado criminal court.Perrish Cox case: Jury finds ex-Denver Broncos' CB Perrish Cox not guilty on both counts in sex-assault trial
. 9news.com (March 2, 2012). Retrieved on 2012-06-11.

References

External links

Seattle Seahawks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Perrish 1987 births Living people Sportspeople from Waco, Texas Players of American football from Texas American football cornerbacks Oklahoma State Cowboys football players Denver Broncos players San Francisco 49ers players Seattle Seahawks players Tennessee Titans players