Je'Rod Cherry

Je'Rod Cherry
No. 37, 30, 25
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1973-05-30) May 30, 1973 (age 51)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Berkeley (Berkeley, California)
College:California
NFL draft:1996 / round: 2 / pick: 40
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:131
Sacks:3.0
Fumble recoveries:2
Passes defended:4
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Je'Rod LePatrick Cherry (born May 30, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) from 1996 to 2004. He played college football for the California Golden Bears. Cherry won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. After his football career, he became a radio talk show host for WKNR AM 850 in Cleveland, and sideline analyst/reporter for the Cleveland Browns Radio Network.

Biography

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina,[1] Cherry graduated from Berkeley High School at Berkeley, California in 1991 and was a standout athlete in football and track.

Cherry red-shirted his freshman year and played on the California Golden Bears football team from 1992 to 1995.[2] In his senior season, Cherry had 91 tackles and an interception and returned 18 kickoffs for a 21.4 yard average. For his junior and senior years, Cherry was an All-Pac-10 honorable mention and Pac-10 All-Academic selection.[3] With a 3.2 GPA, Cherry received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from UC Berkeley in 1996 and a Master of Arts in education from the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education in 2000.[3]

He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 1996 NFL draft.[4] In 2000, Cherry signed with the Oakland Raiders, then a month later he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. After his stint with the Eagles, Cherry signed with the New England Patriots, where he earned Super Bowl rings in Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX as a special teams player before retiring in 2004.

Cherry made an immediate impact for the Patriots on special teams in 2001 and 2002. In 2001, he tied for 3rd in ST tackles with 12 and led the Patriots with 6 ST tackles during their Super Bowl run in the postseason. In 2002, he again ranked 3rd in ST tackles with 12 during the regular season. During the 2003 regular season, he finished with 13 ST tackles and recorded 1 ST tackle in the Super Bowl against Carolina. In 2004, Cherry again recorded 13 ST tackles and had 2 ST tackles against Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game.

NFL career statistics

Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck Int Yds TD Lng FF FR Yds TD
1996 NOR 13 0 8 6 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
1997 NOR 16 0 6 6 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1998 NOR 14 0 27 23 4 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1999 NOR 16 0 28 26 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2000 PHI 13 0 7 7 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
2001 NWE 16 0 15 11 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2002 NWE 16 0 13 9 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2003 NWE 11 0 16 15 1 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2004 NWE 12 0 11 9 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
127 0 131 112 19 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0

Playoffs

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck Int Yds TD Lng FF FR Yds TD
2000 PHI 2 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2001 NWE 3 0 4 2 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2003 NWE 3 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2004 NWE 3 0 5 4 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 0 11 8 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Post-NFL career

After his retirement, Cherry moved to Macedonia, Ohio,[5] and in 2009 became a talk show host and NFL analyst for WKNR AM 850 in Cleveland.[6] In 2013, following WKNR becoming a flagship station for the Cleveland Browns, Cherry also became a game-day pregame host for the Browns radio network. In 2022, he became part of the main game broadcast team as sideline analyst and reporter.

Cherry is a Christian and attends Bible studies with other players.[7] Each year, Cherry goes to Heartland Community Church in Medina, Ohio, where he discusses his work as a sports analyst and his spiritual journey with the congregation there.[8] In 2008, Cherry raffled off his first Super Bowl ring with the proceeds going to charity. The event raised over $200,000.[9] The ring is currently[when?] with a collector in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ "Je'Rod Cherry". NFL. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  2. ^ Gay, Nancy (November 21, 1995). "It's Official -- Gilbertson Out at Cal". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Je'Rod Cherry". New England Patriots. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  4. ^ "1996 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  5. ^ NFL Insider: Cherry's donation rings clear ex-defensive back's heart and soul | cleveland.com Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  6. ^ "@JRCherry3" on Twitter
  7. ^ Andrew Knox, Shawn Brown (2012). "Super Bowl Faith: Comments from the Players". Christian Broadcasting Network. Retrieved March 19, 2014. Je'Rod Cherry–"We have evangelism going on within the team that definitely has an affect [sic] on what we're doing out here today because guys are actually seeking God. Guys are here, like Don Davis, he's an integral part of this. He holds a Bible study every Thursday and then he also helps with the chapel, and we're growing in the Word."
  8. ^ "Meet Three-Time Super Bowl Champion Former New England Patriot Je'Rod Cherry" (PDF). Heartland Community Church. 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2012. Je'Rod will be speaking about his football experiences as a member of the 3-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots, his work as a sports analyst, and also about his spiritual journey. [permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Je'Rod Cherry Super Bowl XXXVI Ring Raffle". Celebrities for Charities. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2009.