Dante Wesley

Dante Wesley
refer to caption
Wesley at the Carolina Panthers 2008 Fan Fest
No. 29, 21, 23, 33
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1979-04-05) April 5, 1979 (age 45)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Pine Bluff (AR) Watson Chapel
College:Arkansas–Pine Bluff
NFL draft:2002 / round: 4 / pick: 100
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • All-American (2001)
  • First-team All-SWAC (2001)
  • 2× second-team All-SWAC (1999-2000)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:104
Forced fumbles:5
Fumble recoveries:5
Pass deflections:18
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Dante Julius Wesley (born April 5, 1979) is an American former professional football cornerback. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft. He played college football at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Wesley was also a member of the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and Detroit Lions.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers (first stint)

Wesley was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 2002 NFL draft.[1]

Chicago Bears

In March 2006 he signed a 2-year contract with the Chicago Bears.

New England Patriots

After one season with the Bears, Wesley was acquired by the New England Patriots for an undisclosed draft pick in the 2008 NFL draft.

Carolina Panthers (second stint)

On September 3, 2007, after being released by the Patriots, he signed again with the Panthers.

Wesley scored his first career touchdown on a 12-yard fumble return against the New Orleans Saints in the 2008 season finale.

In the 2009 NFL season, during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Wesley hit the punt returner Clifton Smith, who had called for a fair catch but not yet received the ball. The Panthers were assessed a 15-yard penalty and he was ejected from the game.[2][3] Two days later, the NFL suspended Wesley for one game without pay. Wesley said he never meant to harm Smith, saying he merely mistimed his hit on him and wanted to apologize to Smith.[4]

Detroit Lions

Wesley signed with the Detroit Lions as an unrestricted free agent on April 3, 2010. Wesley was cut after the Lions had to go to the 53-man roster. He was re-signed by the Lions on September 30, 2010. He was released on October 19.

NFL statistics

Year Team GP COMB TOTAL AST SACK FF FR FR YDS INT IR YDS AVG IR LNG TD PD
2002 CAR 13 17 14 3 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
2003 CAR 16 16 14 2 1.0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
2004 CAR 13 20 18 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2005 CAR 16 17 16 1 0.0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2006 CHI 13 10 9 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2007 CAR 2 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2008 CAR 16 9 8 1 0.0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
2009 CAR 15 11 11 0 1.0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
2010 DET 3 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 107 104 94 10 2.0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 18

[5]

References

  1. ^ "2002 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "Dante Wesley Ejected After Hit On Clifton Smith NFL Panthers Bucs". YouTube. October 18, 2009.[dead YouTube link]
  3. ^ "Wesley tossed; Smith has concussion". ESPN. AP. October 18, 2009.
  4. ^ Chandler, Charles. Wesley suspended one game without pay[permanent dead link‍]. The Charlotte Observer, 2009-10-20.
  5. ^ "Dante Wesley Stats". ESPN Internet. Retrieved April 7, 2014.