Tory Steven James (born May 18, 1973) 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 Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

who played eleven seasons in 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). James attended Archbishop Shaw High School before going to college at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

, and was drafted by the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. His career was endangered by a serious knee injury suffered in the first preseason game of the 1997 season. James tore the

patellar tendon The patellar tendon is the distal portion of the common tendon of the quadriceps femoris, which is continued from the patella to the tibial tuberosity. It is also sometimes called the patellar ligament as it forms a bone to bone connection when ...

in his right knee and missed the entire season. The Broncos were the NFL champions of the 1998 season after winning

Super Bowl XXXIII Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos (who were also defending their Super Bowl XXXII championship) and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Atlan ...

against the Atlanta Falcons. In the 1999 season, after he accumulated 33 tackles and five interceptions, the Broncos made no effort to re-sign James. He then signed with the Oakland Raiders as an

unrestricted 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 is ...

, signing a five-year, $18 million contract. However, after the 2002 season, the Raiders (after eight interceptions in three years) left James unprotected again, and he signed a four-year, $14 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. On January 6, 2001, during the Raiders' divisional playoff game against 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 ...

, James made a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown, and the Raiders beat the Dolphins, 27–0, in Oakland. 2004 proved to be James' best professional season, as he intercepted eight passes, notched 56 tackles, and forced two fumbles. He was voted onto the AFC

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

squad. On February 9, 2007, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis indicated that James will not be resigned. He was signed by the New England Patriots on April 17, 2007. James was cut by the Patriots on September 9, 2007.

References

External links

''Tory James - New England Patriot's Profile'
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Tory 1973 births Living people American football cornerbacks Archbishop Shaw High School alumni LSU Tigers football players Denver Broncos players Oakland Raiders players Cincinnati Bengals players New England Patriots players American Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from New Orleans