Stephone Anthony (born July 28, 1992) 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

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

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). He 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

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level (NCAA Divis ...

. After his playing career, he joined Clemson's coaching staff as a graduate assistant.

Early life

A native of Polkton, North Carolina, Anthony attended Anson High School, where he was a four-year starter. Anthony had 123

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, 16 tackles for loss, four sacks, and two

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 bu ...

as a senior in 2010. In addition to

, Anthony was also a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

on the

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

team and a

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

on the

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team, as well as a track athlete (11.3 s in the 100m). Regarded as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Anthony was rated the No. 3 outside linebackers prospect. He chose Clemson over UNC,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, and

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

College career

He appeared in all 13 games in 2011, including three starts. For the season, he registered 32 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass breakup, and a team-high two caused

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

s in 292 snaps. He started seven of 13 games as a sophomore, recording 77 tackles, one sack and an interception. Anthony started all 13 games as a junior in 2013. He recorded a team-high 131 tackles with four sacks and an interception.

Professional career

New Orleans Saints (first stint)

2015

Anthony was selected in the first round (31st overall) of the

2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football, football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park ...

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 National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. The pick originally belonged to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

, and was traded to the Saints in the Max Unger-

Jimmy Graham Jimmy Graham (born November 24, 1986) is an American professional American football, football tight end. He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. Graham has also been a member of the Seattle Seahawks, G ...

trade. On May 12, 2015, the Saints signed him to a four-year, $7.73 million contract with $6.24 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $3.38 million. He recorded his first sack October 4 in the Saint's 26–20 win over 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

. In a Week 3 game against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

, Anthony was fined $17,363 for his hit on

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

Devin Funchess. During the Saints' Week 12 matchup also against the

, Anthony stopped

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

Jonathan Stewart Jonathan Creon Stewart (born March 21, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, earning All-American honors. Stewar ...

after a handoff up the middle, stripped the ball, then ran it back for a touchdown. Nobody chased him as everyone assumed the play was dead. In the same game, Anthony also became the first person in NFL history to return a blocked kick for two points after Kevin Williams blocked an extra point, following a rule change that took effect in the offseason to allow such returns. Anthony recorded his 100th tackle in a Week 15 game against 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) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

, where he also forced a fumble. He became the first Saints' rookie to record 100 tackles in a season since

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

linebacker

Rickey Jackson Rickey Anderson Jackson (born March 20, 1958) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints (1981–1993) and the San Francisco 49ers (1994–1995). He ...

. Anthony finished his rookie season with 112 tackles, one sack, one interception, and two forced fumbles. He had two scores, both coming against the

, and led all rookies in tackles. Anthony was also named to the

Pro Football Writers Association The Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), sometimes known as Pro Football Writers Association, is an organization that purports to be " heofficial voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve ...

all-rookie team.

2016

On May 14, 2016, it was announced that Anthony would be moved to strongside linebacker, a position he never played before in the NFL. Anthony would go on to only play in 10 games in the regular season, recording 16 tackles. On December 20 he was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

, ending his 2016 season.

Miami Dolphins

On September 19, 2017, Anthony was traded to the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

for a 2018 fifth-round draft pick. On May 2, 2018, the Dolphins declined the fifth-year option on Anthony's contract, making him a free agent in 2019.

Atlanta Falcons

On July 26, 2019, Anthony signed with the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

. He was released on August 18, 2019.

New York Jets

On August 20, 2019, Anthony signed with 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 ...

. He was released on August 31, 2019.

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

On September 25, 2019, Anthony signed with the Saints. He was released on October 16, but was re-signed a week later.

Arizona Cardinals

On November 16, 2020, Anthony was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, 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. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

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 ...

. He was released on November 24, 2020.

NFL career statistics

Coaching career

In 2022, Anthony began his coaching career, joining the staff at his alma mater, Clemson, as a defensive graduate assistant.

References

External links

Clemson Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthony, Stephone 1992 births Living people American football linebackers Arizona Cardinals players Atlanta Falcons players Clemson Tigers football players New Orleans Saints players New York Jets players Miami Dolphins players People from Polkton, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina Clemson Tigers football coaches