Sterling Moore (born February 3, 1990) 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 ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

. 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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = " The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , p ...

Early years

Moore attended Deer Valley High School, where he played as a wide receiver 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 also practiced basketball. He moved on to

Laney College Laney College is a public community college in Oakland, California. Laney is the largest of the four colleges of the Peralta Community College District which serves northern Alameda County. Laney College is named after Joseph Clarence Laney. Th ...

, where he became a starter at

, appearing in 10 games as a freshman, while making 30 tackles, five interceptions, 9 passes defensed and one forced fumble. The next year, he received All-JUCO honors. After his sophomore season, he transferred to

. He finished his college career after appearing in 19 games, while posting 59 tackles, 2 interceptions, 18 passes defensed, 2 sacks and one fumble recovery.

Professional career

Oakland Raiders

On July 28,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

, he was signed by the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...

as an

undrafted 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 i ...

. He was waived on September 3 and re-signed the next day to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

. He was released on September 26.

New England Patriots

On October 5,

, he was signed by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

to their practice squad. On October 15, he was signed to the active roster and made his NFL debut against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...

on November 13, starting every snap at

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

for the Patriots. On December 10, 2011, Moore was released by New England. On December 14, 2011, he was re-signed to the Patriots practice squad and on December 23, 2011, he was promoted to the active roster. On January 1, 2012, in Week 17 of the 2011-12 NFL season, Moore recorded two interceptions against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

, returning one for a touchdown. Late in the AFC Championship against 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 ...

, as the Ravens were driving toward a potential game clinching touchdown, Moore struck Lee Evans' arm on a pass to the end zone, almost certainly preventing a touchdown that could have sent the Ravens to Super Bowl XLVI. After the incomplete pass, Billy Cundiff missed a game-tying field goal as the Patriots went on to win 23–20, earning for Moore an AFC Championship ring. On October 31,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, he was waived and re-signed to the Patriots practice squad two days later.

Dallas Cowboys

On November 30,

, he was signed by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

from the

practice squad to replace an injured

Orlando Scandrick Orlando Lee Scandrick (born February 10, 1987) is an American sports commentator and former American football cornerback. He played college football at Boise State University and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2008 ...

. He played in the last five games of the season mostly in passing situations. Moore was released on August 31,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, in favor of rookie fourth round draft choice B. W. Webb. The team brought him back on November 25, to play as the fourth corner in passing situations. In

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

, after being mostly relegated to a reserve role during his career, he was named the team's nickel back during

's suspension and kept the role after

Morris Claiborne Morris Lee Claiborne (born February 7, 1990) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU), where he won the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the country and was unanimous ...

suffered a season ending knee injury. He played in 16 games (7 starts), registered 49 tackles and led all Cowboys defensive backs with 14 passes defensed.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On March 19,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, Moore signed with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

. He was used as the nickel cornerback in the first four games of the season, before being passed on the depth chart by

Alterraun Verner Alterraun Ennis Verner (born December 13, 1988) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL ...

and moved to a backup role. He was named the starting left cornerback in the seventh game of the season and had eight starts, before coming from the bench in the season finale. He registered 45 tackles, one interception, 6 passes defended, and 3 forced fumbles.

Buffalo Bills

Moore signed with the

on April 5,

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. On September 2, he was released as part of final roster cuts.

New Orleans Saints

On September 6,

, Moore was signed by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

to replace the recently released

Cortland Finnegan Cortland Temujin Finnegan (born February 2, 1984) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Samford, and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Finnegan also played for the ...

. He played in 13 games with 12 starts for the Saints, recording career-highs with 56 tackles, 13 passes defensed along with two interceptions. On March 23, 2017, Moore re-signed with the Saints. With the emergence of their younger cornerbacks, the Saints released Moore on October 25, 2017. He was re-signed on November 20, 2017. He was released again on December 14, 2017. He was re-signed on December 21, 2017.

Detroit Lions

On August 20, 2018, Moore signed with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

. He was released on August 31, 2018.

Arizona Hotshots (AAF)

Moore was signed by the Arizona Hotshots of the

Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan area ...

on January 17, 2019. The league ceased operations in April 2019. In October 2019, Moore was selected by the

Seattle Dragons The Seattle Sea Dragons (formerly known as the Seattle Dragons) are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. The team is a franchise of the new XFL (2020), XFL and plays its home games at Lumen Field in Seattle. Origin ...

in the 10th round during phase 4 of the

2020 XFL Draft The 2020 XFL Draft was the inaugural player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL. The draft was held on October 15–16, 2019, via conference call, with results released through the XFL's social ...

Coaching career

New Orleans Saints

In March of 2022, Moore joined the

coaching staff as a defensive assistant.

References

External links

SMU Mustangs bioTampa Bay Buccaneers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Sterling 1990 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football safeties Arizona Hotshots players Buffalo Bills players Dallas Cowboys players Detroit Lions players Laney Eagles football players New England Patriots players New Orleans Saints players Oakland Raiders players People from Antioch, California Players of American football from California SMU Mustangs football players Sportspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area Tampa Bay Buccaneers players New Orleans Saints coaches