Brian Keith Blades (born July 24, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks 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). Blades graduated from Piper High School in Sunrise, Florida in 1983. He attended the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

. He finished his college career with 80 catches for 1,493 yards and 15 TDs. After graduating, he was chosen in the 2nd round (49th overall) of the

1988 NFL Draft The 1988 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 24–25, 1988, at the Marriot Ma ...

by the Seattle Seahawks. Blades spent his entire 11-year career with the Seahawks, playing for the team from 1988-1998. He signed a one-year contract with the Seahawks prior to the 1999 season, but was cut on June 5, 1999. in 1989 Blades won the Marcus Nalley MVP award, also that year (1989) he was voted into the pro bowl after having 1,063 receiving yards and 5 TD receptions.

Manslaughter conviction and acquittal

Blades was charged with murder in the second degree for the death of his cousin, Charles Blades Jr. Blades initially pleaded "no contest" but later changed his plea to "not guilty" before the trial. Blades claimed the pistol accidentally discharged a round into his cousin during a struggle. During the trial, the prosecuting attorney and a gun expert staged a mock struggle with a blank filled gun, in which the gun accidentally discharged. After a jury convicted Blades of manslaughter, the presiding Judge Susan Lebow overturned the verdict 72 hours later, citing the prosecution's failure to provide enough evidence for conviction. The case was appealed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal, and the court upheld his acquittal.

Personal life

He is the older brother of former NFL cornerbacks

Bennie Blades Horatio Benedict "Bennie" Blades Sr. (born September 3, 1966) is a former American football cornerback and safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami. College career Blades played a big ...

and Al Blades. He is also the uncle of former

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

and

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 ...

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, ...

H. B. Blades. He and his wife Tisha, 2 daughters Brittany and Brianne, and 1 son Brian II live in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blades, Brian 1965 births Living people American Conference Pro Bowl players American football wide receivers Miami Hurricanes football players Players of American football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Seattle Seahawks players Piper High School (Florida) alumni Ed Block Courage Award recipients