Ralph Lahquan Staten (born December 3, 1974) 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 ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

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 ...

before being selected in the seventh round of the

1997 NFL Draft The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997, at the Paramount T ...

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 its ...

. He later also played for

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

and

Ottawa Renegades The Ottawa Renegades were a Canadian Football League franchise based in Ottawa, Ontario founded in 2002, six years after the storied Ottawa Rough Riders folded. After four seasons, the Renegades franchise was suspended indefinitely by the league ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). In the 1995 Alabama season, Staten had three interceptions including one against Ole Miss returned 61 yards for a touchdown. He was named to the

1996 All-SEC football team The 1996 All-SEC football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) chosen by various selectors for the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Florida Gators won the conference, beating the ...

after a 12 sack season. Staten wore number 41 for the Crimson Tide, a hallowed number at Alabama also worn by former All-Americans

Courtney Upshaw Courtney Tremaine Upshaw (born December 13, 1989) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama. High school career Upshaw at ...

Roman Harper Roman Harper (born December 11, 1982) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Saints in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. In 2009, Harper earned his first Pro Bowl invitation (fir ...

, and

Vaughn Mancha Vaughn Hall Mancha (October 7, 1921January 27, 2011) was a professional American football player who played professionally for the Boston Yanks. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990. He was named to the All-SEC team du ...

On December 4, 2013, Staten was arrested in

George County, Mississippi George County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,578. Its county seat is Lucedale. The county is named for James Z. George, US Senator from Mississippi. George County is included ...

, following a high-speed chase with the police. He was charged with

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

, and was also being considered a "

person of interest "Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no leg ...

" in connection to a missing person case in George County, according to authorities. A white man, Welford Lee "Pork Chop" McCarty, was later convicted of the missing man's murder.

References

1974 births Living people American football linebackers Alabama Crimson Tide football players Baltimore Ravens players Edmonton Elks players Ottawa Renegades players People from Semmes, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama {{Linebacker-1970s-stub

See also

References