Kwame Harris

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Kwame Harris
Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1982-03-15) March 15, 1982 (age 42)
Jamaica
Height:6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight:320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school:Newark (Newark, Delaware)
College:Stanford
NFL draft:2003 / Round: 1 / Pick: 26
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • Morris Trophy
    (2002)
  • First-team All-
    Pac-10
    (2002)
  • Second-team All-Pac-10 (2001)
Career NFL statistics
Games played:86
Games started:55
Fumble recoveries:4
Player stats at NFL.com

Kwame Harris (born March 15, 1982) is a Jamaican-born former

2003 NFL Draft.[1]

Harris played high school football in

blocking and committing penalties
.

Early years

Harris was born in Jamaica and came to the United States when he was three years old. His family first settled in The Bronx, New York before moving to Delaware, where Harris' father operated multiple successful restaurants. Harris started playing the piano at age five and the violin in seventh grade.[2] He grew up in Newark, Delaware, and attended Newark High School. Harris played violin in his high school orchestra along with playing high school football. He was a unanimous All-American selection and generally considered one of the top prep offensive linemen in the nation.[3]

As a child, Harris knew he was attracted to men. In high school, when confronted by his mom about his sexuality, he came out as gay to his family. Not all of them were initially supportive, contributing to Harris's decision to attend Stanford University on the opposite coast.[4]

College career

See also: 2002 College Football All-America Team

Harris was a music major at Stanford. He played three years of football for the

Morris Trophy as the top offensive lineman in the conference. He was also an honorable mention All-American and an honorable mention Academic All-Pac-10. Harris gave up his final year of eligibility at Stanford to enter the NFL.[3][5]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split
20-yard shuttle
 Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 7 in
(2.01 m) 		310 lb
(141 kg) 		34+1⁄4 in
(0.87 m) 		10+5⁄8 in
(0.27 m)		 5.20 s 1.73 s 2.96 s 4.65 s 7.98 s 35+1⁄2 in
(0.90 m)		 8 ft 11 in
(2.72 m)
All values from NFL Combine.[6]

Harris was ranked the No. 2 offensive tackle available in the

2007, and he won the starting job at right tackle as Harris was relegated to a backup role in his final year.[11][13]

In 2008, Harris signed a three-year contract for $16 million with the Oakland Raiders,[14] who hoped that line coach Tom Cable could revive his career.[13] He started 11 games that year.[10] Late in the season, however, he again struggled with his blocking and penalties, and the Raiders released him after the season.[15]

He retired after being cut in 2010 by the

Profootballtalk.com called Harris "a major disappointment in the pros."[10] Harris partly attributed his decline to the pressure of hiding his sexuality.[4]

After football

Harris returned to college after retiring from football in order to complete his undergraduate degree.[17]

On November 4, 2013, Harris was convicted on misdemeanor counts of domestic violence, assault and battery against his ex-boyfriend, Dimitri Geier, stemming from an incident on August 21, 2012.[18] He was acquitted of felony counts of domestic violence causing great bodily injury and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury.[19][20] Geier also sued Harris for assault, battery, false imprisonment, negligence and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, but later dropped the lawsuit.[19][20] According to the suit, Harris became upset and the two men argued after Geier poured soy sauce on a plate of rice at a restaurant in Menlo Park, California. The situation escalated as the two exchanged blows.[20] Harris' attorney, Alin Cintean, said Geier assaulted Harris first. "Unfortunately, Mr. Geier is the one who ended up with an injury," he said.[17] Harris' defense team argued that the statute of limitations on the misdemeanor charges for the 2012 incident had expired.[19] However, the judge sentenced Harris to five days in jail and three years of probation, and ordered him to take domestic violence counseling and pay a fine.[21]

After the incident became public, Cintean stated that Harris identifies as gay, remarking that "he is a very private person. He doesn't like to talk about his personal life."[17] On March 29, 2013, Harris came out as gay during an interview with CNN.[22][23] Until Michael Sam in 2014,[24] no NFL player had come out while they were playing, and only a few had after retiring.[17][25]

He was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.[26]

Personal life

Harris' younger brother, Orien, also played in the NFL as a defensive tackle.[27] Their older brother, Duevorn, was a defensive tackle in the Arena Football League.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Fucillo, David (April 7, 2011). "49ers Top 10 NFL Draft Busts: No. 7 - Kwame Harris, Offensive Tackle". Niners Nation. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Reeves, Glenn (April 22, 2003). "Harris versed in classics Stanford lineman can play a violin or mash a defender with equal ability". Oakland Tribune. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2013.(subscription required)
  3. ^ a b "Player Bio: Kwame Harris". gostanford.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Morton, Danelle (June 10, 2013). "Out on the edge". ESPN The Magazine. Archived from the original on June 1, 2013.
  5. ^ Wilner, Jon (October 30, 2003). "Mercury News | 01/15/2003 | Harris' hard goodbye". Archived from the original on October 30, 2003. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  6. ^ "Kwame Harris, Stanford, OT, 2003 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com.
  7. ^ "SI.com - 2003 NFL Draft - Breakdown by Position - OT". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  8. ^ "2003 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  9. ^ Jr, Orly Rios. "NFL Draft: The San Francisco 49ers and Top 10 Draft Busts of the Last 20 Years". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d Smith, Michael David (July 15, 2010). "Former first-rounder Kwame Harris apparently retiring". profootballtalk.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Rookie RT Staley earns starting job over veteran Harris". USA Today. Associated Press. August 28, 2007. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013.
  12. ^ a b "49ers OT Harris works hard to keep job". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 3, 2007. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013.
  13. ^ a b "Raiders sign WR Javon Walker, OT Kwame Harris". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 5, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  14. ^ "Raiders ink Harris, Walker". East Bay Times. March 5, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  15. ^ "Raiders cut Harris, Griffith". USA Today. Associated Press. February 23, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  16. ^ Brackney, Bryan. "Kwame Harris Released By UFL Team, Retiring". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c d "Domestic charges for Kwame Harris". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 29, 2013. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013.
  18. ^ Ho, Vivian (November 6, 2013). "Ex-Niner Kwame Harris guilty of domestic violence". SFGATE. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  19. ^ a b c Durand, Michelle (November 13, 2013). "Former 49er wants DV convictions dismissed". San Mateo Daily Journal. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  20. ^ a b c Durand, Michelle (January 28, 2013). "Former 49er charged with attacking ex-boyfriend". San Mateo Daily Journal. Archived from the original on November 15, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  21. ^ Eslinger, Bonnie (December 21, 2013). "Ex-49er Kwame Harris sentenced to five days in jail for beating up ex-boyfriend". mercurynews.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014.
  22. ^ "Fmr. player Kwame Harris speaks out on being gay in the NFL – Erin Burnett OutFront - - CNN.com Blogs". Outfront.blogs.cnn.com. March 29, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  23. ^ "Ex-NFL Player Kwame Harris Confirms He's Gay". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  24. ^ "NFL draft prospect Sam says he's gay". ESPN.com. February 10, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  25. ^ Conway, Tyler. "Kwame Harris Sheds Light on Difficulties for Homosexual NFL Players". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  26. ^ Tresolini, Kevin (March 22, 2023). "Two ex-NFL players among Delaware Sports Hall of Fame 2023 inductees. Meet the new members". The News Journal.
  27. ^ Nelson, Kathleen (May 8, 2009). "Rams add depth on defensive line Orien Harris comes from Cincinnati for running back Brian Leonard". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kwame Harris.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kwame_Harris&oldid=1217412135"