John Jerry (born June 14, 1986) 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 wi ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

. He played college football at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...

and was drafted by 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 p ...

in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He has also played for the New York Giants.

High school career

Jerry attended

South Panola High School The South Panola School District is a public school district based in Batesville, Mississippi, US. In addition to Batesville, the district also serves the village of Pope, the town of Courtland, and the Panola County portion of Crowder as w ...

Batesville, Mississippi Batesville is a city in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,463 at the 2010 census. Batesville is one of two county seats which the legislature established for Panola County, related to a longstanding rivalry between ...

, where he was a two-way lineman and his career totals included 205 tackles, with 13 quarterback sacks. As a senior, he made 88 tackles, including five quarterback sacks, and returned one pass interception for a touchdown. He helped lead South Panola High School and coach Ricky Woods to a 44-1 record, including state championships in 2003 and 2004, while being runners-up in 2002. Considered a three-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 ...

'', Jerry was listed as the No. 27 offensive tackle prospect in the nation.

College career

After a prep school year at

Hargrave Military Academy Hargrave Military Academy (HMA) is a private, all-male, military boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia. Hargrave is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Christian values that focuses on a col ...

, Jerry started all 12 contests at right guard for the Ole Miss Rebels in 2006. He was honored by several postseason publications as one of the top freshman linemen in the country, including ''

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' and ''Rivals.com''. In 2007, he played in all 12 games and started nine at the right guard position. Jerry was moved to right tackle and started all 13 games at the position in 2008, and earned second-team All-SEC honors from the SEC Coaches and Phil Steele. In 2009, Jerry was listed at No. 5 on ''

′s'' preseason offensive tackle power ranking. He was also named to the 2009

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Am ...

watch list.

Professional career

Jerry was considered one of the better offensive linemen available in the 2010 NFL Draft. He drew comparisons to Leonard Davis. On draft day, he was selected by the

in the third round with the 73rd overall pick.

Miami Dolphins

In February 2014, the NFL released the "Wells Report" finding that Jerry, along with Dolphins teammates

Richie Incognito Richard Dominik Incognito Jr. (born July 5, 1983) is a former American football guard. He played college football at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played ...

and

Mike Pouncey James Michael Pouncey (born July 24, 1989) is a former American football center who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, was a member of a BCS National Championship ...

, had bullied and harassed lineman Jonathan Martin, another unnamed player, and an assistant trainer during the 2012-13 seasons. The harassment of the assistant trainer, in which Jerry took part, included racial insults.

New York Giants

On March 21, 2014, Jerry was signed by the New York Giants. On March 13, 2015, Jerry re-signed with the Giants. On March 13, 2017, Jerry signed a three-year, $10 million contract extension with the Giants. He started all 16 games for the Giants at right guard in 2017. On September 2, 2018, Jerry was released by the Giants.

Cincinnati Bengals

On June 10, 2019, Jerry signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was released during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, but was re-signed two days later.

Personal life

John Jerry is the younger brother of

Peria Jerry Peria Edward Jerry (; born August 23, 1984) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Mississippi. Jerry reti ...

, a former defensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons. His cousins Eddie Strong and

Dwayne Rudd Dwayne Rudd (born February 3, 1976) is a retired American football linebacker who played in the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft. During his career he played for the Minnesota Vikings, the Clevela ...

also played in the NFL.

References

External links

Ole Miss Rebels bio

Miami Dolphins bio

New York Giants bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jerry, John 1986 births Living people People from Batesville, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards Ole Miss Rebels football players Miami Dolphins players New York Giants players Cincinnati Bengals players Hargrave Military Academy alumni