Je'Rod Cherry

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Je'Rod Cherry
No. 37, 30, 25
PositionSafety
Personal information
Born (1973-05-30) May 30, 1973
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolBerkeley (Berkeley, California)
CollegeCalifornia
NFL draft1996: 2nd round, 40th overall pick
Career history
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles131
Sacks3
Fumble recoveries2
Passes defended4
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
GPGSCombSoloAstSckIntYdsTDLngFFFRYdsTD
1996NOR 1308620.000000100
1997NOR 1606600.000000000
1998NOR 140272342.000000000
1999NOR 160282620.000000000
2000PHI 1307700.000000100
2001NWE 160151140.000000000
2002NWE 16013940.000000000
2003NWE 110161511.000000000
2004NWE 12011920.000000000
1270131112193.000000200

Playoffs

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GPGSCombSoloAstSckIntYdsTDLngFFFRYdsTD
2000PHI 200000.000000000
2001NWE 304220.000000000
2003NWE 302200.000000000
2004NWE 305410.000000000
11011830.000000000

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 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. "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.
  9. "Je'Rod Cherry Super Bowl XXXVI Ring Raffle". Celebrities for Charities. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2009.