Willie Gay Jr. (born February 15, 1998) 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 ...

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 ...

for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

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). 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 ...

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univers ...

. He was drafted by the Chiefs with the 63rd overall selection in the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

Early years

Gay attended

Starkville High School Starkville High School (SHS) is a public secondary school in Starkville, Mississippi, United States. It is the only high school in the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District, serving grades 9–12. It offers more than 140 courses, ...

Starkville, Mississippi Starkville is a city in, and the county seat of, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States. Mississippi State University is a land-grant institution and is located partially in Starkville but primarily in an adjacent unincorporated area desig ...

. At Starkville High School, he won the 2015 6A State Championship. He played in the 2017

U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...

. He committed to

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

to play college football.

College career

Gay played at Mississippi State from 2017 to 2019. As a junior in 2019, he played in only five games and missed eight due to suspension. After the season, he entered the

, forgoing his senior season. During his career, he had 99 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions and a touchdown.

Professional career

2020 season

Gay was selected by the

in the second round with the 63rd overall pick in the

. In Week 5 against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...

, Gay recorded his first career sack. On February 6, 2021, Gay was placed on injured reserve, forcing him to miss

Super Bowl LV Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conferen ...

2021 season

Gay was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2021. He was activated on October 9.

2022 season

On September 19, 2022, Gay was suspended for four games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy due to his arrest in January 2022. Gay went on to help the Chiefs win

Super Bowl LVII Super Bowl LVII is the upcoming championship game of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2022 NFL season. The game is scheduled to be played on February 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It will be the fourth Super B ...

against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

38-35. Gay recorded 8 tackles in the Super Bowl.

Legal trouble

Gay was arrested on January 19, 2022, for misdemeanor criminal destruction of property less than $1,000. He reportedly went to see his son at his son's mother's house. The two got into an argument and Gay damaged a vacuum cleaner, a humidifier, and a cellphone screen protector, as well as a wall and door.

References

External links

Kansas City Chiefs bioMississippi State Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gay, Willie 1998 births Living people Sportspeople from Starkville, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi American football linebackers Mississippi State Bulldogs football players Kansas City Chiefs players