 Vilma with theNew Orleans Saints in 2010 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 51 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1982-04-16)April 16, 1982 (age 43) New York City, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Coral Gables Senior(Coral Gables, Florida) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Miami (FL) (2000–2003) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2004: 1st round, 12th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Jonathan Polynice Vilma (born April 16, 1982) is an Americancolor analyst and former professionalfootball player in theNational Football League (NFL). He played as alinebacker and was a three-timePro Bowl selection.
Vilma playedcollege football for theMiami Hurricanes, winning a national championship in 2001. He was selected by theNew York Jets in the first round of the2004 NFL draft. Vilma won aSuper Bowl championship with theNew Orleans Saints. He serves as a color analyst for theNFL on Fox. He previously worked atESPN as a college football commentator and studio analyst.[1] Vilma was elected as a member of the Orange Bowl Committee in 2018.
Vilma was born in theEast Harlem neighborhood ofNew York City toHaitian immigrant parents.[2][3] His family moved toCoral Gables, Florida, when Vilma was 6 years old, where he attendedG. W. Carver Middle School and laterCoral Gables Senior High School, where he was a teammate ofPro Bowl running backFrank Gore.
Vilma received an athletic scholarship to attend theUniversity of Miami, and played for coachButch Davis and coachLarry Coker'sMiami Hurricanes football teams from 2000 to 2003.
In 2000, Vilma played in all 11 games as a reserve middlelinebacker and compiled 38 tackles (29 solo) and a pass deflection.
After the graduation ofDan Morgan, Vilma stepped into the starting middle linebacker role and played an integral role on the Hurricanes' National Championship team. He led the team in tackles with 79 (54 solo) and compiled two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery for a 36-yard touchdown, three pass deflections and an interception. He started 11 of 12 games during the regular season and was selected on the First-team All-Big East team.
Vilma led Miami in tackles with 133 (75 solo), and had two quarterback sacks, a forced fumble, recovered two fumbles, (returning one for a touchdown) and broke up five passes. He earned unanimous first-team All-Big East selection for the second time in his career and was a semi-finalist for theDick Butkus Award, along with teammateD. J. Williams.
In his final year, Vilma led the team in tackles for a third time with 127 (81 solo), with one sack, forced one fumble, and recovered three fumbles. Vilma ended the year as a finalist for the Butkus Award.
Along with his success on the field, Vilma was a three-time Academic All-Big East Conference. He received abachelor's degree in finance from theUniversity of Miami's School of Business Administration.
Vilma was interviewed about his time at the University of Miami for the documentaryThe U, which premiered December 12, 2009, onESPN.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) | 233 lb (106 kg) | 31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.60 s | 4.20 s | 6.67 s | 37 in (0.94 m) | 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) | 23 reps | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[4][5] | ||||||||||||
Vilma was drafted by the Jets in the first round with the 12th selection in the2004 NFL draft.[6]
In 2004, Vilma was named as theNFL Defensive Rookie of the Year by theAssociated Press. During his rookie campaign, he recorded 107 tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions, one of which was returned for his first NFL touchdown.
In 2005, Vilma led the NFL in tackles with 169, forced four fumbles, notched one fumble recovery, half a sack, and one interception. Vilma also replacedZach Thomas at the2006 Pro Bowl.
In 2006, Vilma put together another solid season. He compiled 114 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one interception.
On October 27, 2007, Vilma was placed on injured reserve. He suffered a season ending knee injury during the New York Jets week 7 game against theCincinnati Bengals.[7][8][9]
On February 29, 2008, the Jets traded Vilma to theNew Orleans Saints for a fourth-round draft pick in the2008 NFL draft and a conditional pick in the2009 NFL draft (ultimately a third-round pick). Jets then-head coachEric Mangini elected to start linebackersEric Barton andDavid Harris in his place.
In his first season with the Saints, Vilma was a bright spot on a weak defensive unit. Vilma played in all 16 games, and recorded 132 tackles with one sack.
On February 27, 2009, Vilma signed a five-year, $34 million contract with the Saints.[10] Vilma was elected one of the defensive captains, led the team in tackles, had three interceptions, and was chosen for his second Pro Bowl. InSuper Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010, Vilma made several important plays, including making a key defensive audible and deflecting a pass on 3rd and 11 in the fourth quarter. The Saints beat theIndianapolis Colts 31–17.[11]
Vilma again led the team in tackles in 2010, started every game, and was selected to the Pro Bowl.[12][13][14] He was ranked 37th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[15] In 2011, he started and played in 11 games but was inactive for five others with a knee injury.[16] He was ranked 58th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2012.[17]
Vilma was a central figure in theNew Orleans Saints bounty scandal. The NFL alleged thatdefensive coordinatorGregg Williams operated an incentive program, which paid out "bounties" for deliberately putting opposing players out of games. The league alleged that Vilma offered $10,000 cash to anyone who knockedBrett Favre out of the 2009 NFC Championship Game. Most notably, Favre was forced out of the game for one play with an ankle injury. Although up to 27 players were accused of involvement, Vilma was the only player initially singled out by the league for his role.[18][19] The NFL suspended Vilma for the entire 2012 season on May 2, 2012. The suspension was reported to be the longest suspension related to in-game misconduct in modern NFL history, dwarfing the previous record of five games handed toAlbert Haynesworth for stomping onAndre Gurode's head in 2006. The league contended that Vilma and defensive endWill Smith aided Williams in starting the alleged program in 2009.[20] Vilma found out about the suspension when it was announced onSportsCenter, immediately announced his intent to appeal and adamantly denied that he was involved in any sort of bounty scheme.[21] Vilma filed a personal slander suit against Roger Goodell.[22]
Opinions about the suspensions were divided, as alleged targets like Favre andKurt Warner claimed that incentive programs were part of the game, which was corroborated by[23] former players interviewed bySports Illustrated. On July 26, Vilma and seven witnesses from the Saints (along with a sworn affidavit fromDrew Brees) testified to a federal judge in New Orleans that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell misrepresented the facts in the league's investigation. Vilma's suspension was overturned on September 7, and he was reinstated for the 2012 season.[24] TheAssociated Press reportedRoger Goodell's disappointment in the determination of the arbitration board's ruling.
On October 9, 2012, the league again suspended Vilma, Browns linebackerScott Fujita, Saints defensive end Will Smith and free-agent defensive endAnthony Hargrove. Vilma's suspension lasted throughout the entire 2012 season, but he was allowed to retain his paychecks (when he was on the Physically Unable to Perform list) for the first six weeks of the season.[25] The suspensions were then reviewed by former NFL CommissionerPaul Tagliabue, who overruled Roger Goodell and vacated the suspensions on December 11, 2012. Vilma continued his defamation lawsuit against commissioner Goodell,[26] but it was ultimately dismissed in January 2013.[27]
In total, Vilma played in 11 games during the 2012 season.[28]
Vilma underwent knee surgery during the preseason and was placed on the Reserve/Injured Designated for Return list, with the hope that he would recover in time to play during the season. He was reactivated for the Saints' eighth game, a 26–20 loss to his former team, the New York Jets, and was in the game for only 12 defensive snaps. The following week, he was again placed on injured reserve, ending his 2013 season.[29]
On February 12, 2014, Vilma's contract was not renewed with the New Orleans Saints. He became a guest analyst onBleacher Report.[30]
Vilma officially retired from football, and was honored by the Saints before their home game on December 6, 2015.[31]
Vilma was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame on October 29, 2017.[32]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career best |
| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | PD | TD | FF | FR | |||
| 2004 | NYJ | 16 | 108 | 77 | 31 | 2.0 | 3 | 58 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005 | NYJ | 16 | 173 | 128 | 45 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 2006 | NYJ | 16 | 117 | 69 | 48 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2007 | NYJ | 7 | 41 | 31 | 11 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | NO | 16 | 132 | 98 | 34 | 1.0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 2009 | NO | 15 | 110 | 87 | 23 | 2.0 | 3 | 25 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | NO | 16 | 105 | 70 | 35 | 4.0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2011 | NO | 11 | 54 | 36 | 18 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2012 | NO | 11 | 37 | 20 | 17 | 1.0 | 1 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | NO | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals[33] | 125 | 879 | 617 | 262 | 10.5 | 12 | 116 | 40 | 3 | 11 | 10 | |
Vilma is a spokesman forUnder Armour and WaterBank of America USA Inc.[34]
His parents, Fritz Vilma and Nelly Banatte, migrated to the United States fromHaiti in the 1970s. After the2010 earthquake, he was active in relief efforts.[35]
Vilma started the Jonathan Vilma Foundation after the 2010 Haiti earthquake to help with the rebuilding efforts in Haiti, in particular a charter school to educate students from elementary school to high school.
New York Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma was placed on injured reserve because of a knee injury, ending his season after seven games.
