| No. 37, 30, 25 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1973-05-30)May 30, 1973 (age 52) 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: 2nd round, 40th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Je'Rod LePatrick Cherry (born May 30, 1973) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety in theNational Football League (NFL) from1996 to2004. He playedcollege football for theCalifornia Golden Bears. Cherry won threeSuper Bowls with theNew England Patriots. After his football career, he became a radio talk show host forWKNR AM 850 in Cleveland, and sideline analyst/reporter for theCleveland Browns Radio Network.
Born inCharlotte, North Carolina,[1] Cherry graduated fromBerkeley High School atBerkeley, California in 1991 and was a standout athlete in football and track.
Cherry red-shirted his freshman year and played on theCalifornia 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 3.2GPA, Cherry received hisBachelor of Arts degree inpolitical science from UC Berkeley in 1996 and aMaster of Arts ineducation from theUniversity of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education in 2000.[3]
He wasdrafted by theNew Orleans Saints in the1996 NFL draft.[4] In2000, Cherry signed with theOakland Raiders, then a month later he signed with thePhiladelphia Eagles. After his stint with the Eagles, Cherry signed with theNew England Patriots, where he earnedSuper Bowl rings in Super BowlsXXXVI,XXXVIII, andXXXIX as aspecial 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.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
After his retirement, Cherry moved toMacedonia, Ohio,[5] and in 2009 became a talk show host and NFL analyst forWKNR AM 850 in Cleveland.[6] In 2013, following WKNR becoming aflagship station for theCleveland 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 aChristian and attendsBible studies with other players.[7] Each year, Cherry goes to Heartland Community Church inMedina, Ohio, where he discusses his work as a sports analyst and hisspiritual journey with thecongregation 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 inOttawa, Ontario,Canada.
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."
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]