Travis Deonte James Rudolph (born September 15, 1995) is an
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 ...
wide receiver who is a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
. 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 ...
at
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
, and has previously played for the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
and
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 ...
of 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).
Early years
Rudolph attended
Cardinal Newman High School in
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lagoon. The populati ...
. As a senior, he had 63 receptions for school records 1,237 yards and 15
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
s. Rudolph was rated 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 ...
as a five-star recruit and was ranked as the number one receiver in his class. He committed to
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
to play college football.
College career
As a true freshman at Florida State in 2014, Rudolph played in 13 games with six starts and had 38 receptions for 555 yards and four touchdowns. In his second season at Florida State, Rudolph played 13 games with 11 starts. He led the team in receptions (59), receiving yards (916), and touchdown receptions (7). In the
2015 Peach Bowl
The 2015 Peach Bowl was a college football bowl game that was played on December 31, 2015, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.[Javon Walker
Javon Liteff Walker (born October 14, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers 20th overall of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.
Walker also played for the Den ...](_blank)
's record of 195 receiving yards set during the
2002 Gator Bowl
The 2002 Gator Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Virginia Tech Hokies, The 57th edition of the Gator Bowl, it was played at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on Januar ...
. As a junior in 2016, Rudolph played 13 games with 840 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. After the season, Rudolph decided to forgo his senior year and enter the
2017 NFL Draft
The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
.
Professional career
New York Giants
Rudolph signed with the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
as an undrafted free agent following the
2017 NFL Draft
The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
. He was waived on September 2, 2017 and was signed to the Giants' practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 9, 2017 after injuries to multiple receivers on the team. Rudolph recorded his first NFL reception in a Week 7 game against 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 October 22, 2017. Rudolph finished the game with 3 receptions for 32 yards.
On September 1, 2018, Rudolph was waived by the Giants.
Miami Dolphins
Rudolph was signed to 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 ...
practice squad on October 10, 2018, however he suffered a torn ACL in his first day of practice and was placed on the practice squad/injured list.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Rudolph signed with the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...
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 ...
on January 6, 2020. He was released on April 7, 2021.
Personal life
In August 2016, while visiting a middle school in Tallahassee with other FSU players, Rudolph made national headlines after he sat and ate lunch with Bo Paske, an autistic student who was eating by himself.
In April 2017, days before the 2017 NFL Draft, Rudolph's father, Darryl, was shot and killed while working as a maintenance worker at a strip club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Police said Darryl Rudolph was working in a back storage room when a coworker, in an adjacent room, accidentally discharged a rifle while moving it off a shelf. The bullet traveled through the wall and struck Darryl in the neck.
Rudolph is a cousin of former NFL wide receiver and return specialist
Devin Hester
Devin Devorris Hester Sr. (born November 4, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He is widely regarded as the greatest return specialist i ...
.
Murder charge
On April 7, 2021, Rudolph was arrested in
Palm Beach County, Florida
Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous county ...
, and charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. According to investigators from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Rudolph allegedly opened fire on four people following a late-night dispute at his mother’s home in Lake Park. It is believed that the four people came to Rudolph’s mother’s home to confront Rudolph about domestic violence accusations. During the physical dispute, Rudolph armed himself with an AR-15 pistol and fired 39 rounds. One person was killed and another was wounded as a result. Rudolph was initially held in jail without bond.
Rudolph’s defense team filed a motion to dismiss all charges under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law. The motion was subsequently denied by a judge in March of 2022.
Less than one month later, Rudolph’s attorney negotiated his release from jail on $160,000 cash bond. The agreement requires Rudolph to remain on house arrest. Rudolph is currently awaiting trial.
References
External links
Florida State Seminoles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudolph, Travis
1995 births
Living people
Sportspeople from West Palm Beach, Florida
Players of American football from Florida
American football wide receivers
Florida State Seminoles football players
New York Giants players
Miami Dolphins players
Winnipeg Blue Bombers players