Tony Lippett (born July 2, 1992) 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 ...

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 ...

who is a free agent. 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 ...

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

, 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 pla ...

in the fifth round of the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

Early years

Lippett attended Crockett High School in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, where he was a two-sport star in both football and track. He was a three-year starter on both sides of the ball (quarterback and cornerback) for the Crockett Rockets

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

team. As a junior in 2008, Lippett registered 36 tackles (32 solos, 4 assists) and three interceptions as a defensive back. On offense, he accounted for 2,749 total yards and 23 touchdowns. He completed 157-of-219 throws for 1,967 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, and carried the ball 87 times for 782 yards and 10 more scores in 2008. As a senior in 2009, Lippett was an

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

(AP) All-State selection as a

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 ...

after recording 55

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

(36 solos, 19 assists) and nine

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

(45 return yards). On offense, he accounted for 3,014 total yards and 30

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...

while leading the Rockets to a 10-2 record. He completed 116-of-187 passes for 2,066 yards, 17 touchdowns and six interceptions, while also rushing 105 times for 948 yards and 13 more scores, earning All-Metro Detroit honors. He represented the East squad in the 2010 Michigan High School All-Star Game, played June 19 in Spartan Stadium, and led all receivers with four catches for 95 yards. Also a standout

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete, Lippett competed as a sprinter during his junior and senior seasons, participating in the sprint relays and the open 100m and 200-meters for Crockett. As a junior, he was 2nd in the

200-meter dash The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

in the city (22.39 s) and the 4th in the state (23.06 s). He clocked a personal-best of 10.7 seconds in the

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

prior to his senior season, and was also timed routinely at 4.5 seconds in the

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

. Lippett is a cousin of former

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 ...

cornerback Ronnie Lippett.

Recruiting

Lippett was rated among the nation's top wide receivers by ''

Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...

'' (No. 62). He was named to SuperPrep's and PrepStar's All-Midwest Teams. He was listed among the state's top seniors by Scout.com (No. 13),

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

(No. 13),

Lansing State Journal The ''Lansing State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Lansing, Michigan, owned by Gannett. Overview The ''Lansing State Journal'' is the sole daily newspaper published in Greater Lansing. The newspaper had an average Monday through ...

(No. 16),

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the '' Detroit Tribune'' on Februa ...

(No. 17) and ''

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 ...

'' (No. 19).

College career

Lippett started his career at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

as a cornerback. After he was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

as a freshman in 2010, Lippett appeared in all 14 games in 2011 with five starts. He finished the year with 18 tackles and four receptions for 44 yards. Prior to his sophomore season in 2012, he was moved to wide receiver full-time. He finished with 36 receptions for 392 yards and two

in 13 games. As a junior in 2013, he started 10 of 14 games and had a team-leading 44 receptions with 613 yards and two touchdowns. Lippett remained a starter his senior season in 2014. He had 65 receptions for 1,198 yards with 11 touchdowns and was named a first-team All-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

selection.

College statistics

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Lippett was drafted by the

in the fifth round (156th overall) of the

. Lippett became a starter in his second season after primarily playing on special teams as a rookie. He started 13 games, finished fourth on the team with 67 tackles, second on the team with four passes defensed, and leading the team with four interceptions. In training camp in 2017, Lippett suffered a torn Achilles and was ruled out for the season. He was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2017. On September 1, 2018, Lippett was released by the Dolphins.

New York Giants

On October 25, 2018, Lippett was signed by 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. ...

. On March 14, 2019, Lippett re-signed with the Giants. He was released on July 24, 2019.

Cincinnati Bengals

On July 30, 2019, Lippett signed with the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Lippett signed with the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

of the CFL on May 4, 2020. He was placed on the suspended list on July 3, 2021.

References

External links

Michigan State Spartans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lippett, Tony 1992 births Living people Crockett High School (Michigan) alumni Players of American football from Detroit American football wide receivers American football cornerbacks Michigan State Spartans football players Miami Dolphins players New York Giants players Cincinnati Bengals players Saskatchewan Roughriders players