Scott Darwin Player (born December 17, 1969) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a punter in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL),

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL), and United Football League (UFL). He also played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University (FSU) located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I, prima ...

and was signed by the Birmingham Barracudas as a street free agent in 1995. Player was also a member of 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

, and

New York Sentinels New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. He was a

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

alternate with the Cardinals in

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

and a Pro Bowl selection in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

Early years

After playing college football at Florida State, Player became a physical education teacher at Price Middle School until 1994. Afterwards, he became a teacher at Family Worship Center Academy through 1995, during which he became the punter for the Barracudas. After his brief stint with the now defunct Barracudas, he became the assistant head of fitness for the City of Birmingham, Alabama from March 1996 until October 1997. During his employment in Alabama, he was signed by the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and New York Giants but did not make the final roster on any of these teams. After his tenure with the City of Birmingham, he became a dispatcher at

Roadway Express Roadway Express, Inc. was an American less than truckload (LTL) trucking company. Roadway Express and its holding company, Roadway Corporation, were acquired by logistics holding company Yellow Corporation in 2003, and the parent companies were m ...

from January 1997 through January 1998, after which he was signed back by the Arizona Cardinals, finally making a roster and remaining with the team until the 2007 preseason.

Professional career

He played ten years in the NFL, nine of which were with the

and a portion of a season with the

. He also played in the

and in

NFL Europa NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally founded ...

with the Frankfurt Galaxy. Player was the last NFL player to wear a one-bar face mask, which was banned by the league in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. His face mask was covered under a grandfather clause.

Arizona Cardinals

Player played for the Cardinals between 1998 and 2006, earning a

selection in

. The Cardinals released him on August 29, 2007.

Cleveland Browns

On September 18, 2007, Player was signed by the

after

Dave Zastudil David Michael Zastudil (born October 26, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio Bobcats, and was selected in the fourth round o ...

was injured. On October 8, 2007, the Browns released him.Cleveland Browns Release Scott Player

New England Patriots

On April 18, 2008, Player was signed by the

to compete with incumbent Chris Hanson. He was released on June 12, 2008.

New York Sentinels

Player was signed by the

in 2009. UFL rules allowed Player to keep his one-bar face mask during his time with the Sentinels.

References

External links

Stats Crew profile

New England Patriots bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Player, Scott 1969 births Living people Players of American football from St. Augustine, Florida American football punters Florida State Seminoles football players Birmingham Barracudas players Arizona Cardinals players New York Giants players Frankfurt Galaxy players New York Jets players Cleveland Browns players New England Patriots players National Conference Pro Bowl players New York Sentinels players American expatriate sportspeople in Germany