Dominic Rhodes
Encyclopedia
Dominic Dondrell Rhodes (born January 17, 1979) is an American football
running back
for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He attended Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts
as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football
at Midwestern State.
Rhodes also been a member of the Oakland Raiders
between stints with the Colts and Buffalo Bills
. He earned a Super Bowl ring
with the Colts in Super Bowl XLI
.
, Rhodes was recruited by many major college programs including Texas Tech University
and Texas Christian University
. He signed instead with Tyler Junior College
in Tyler, Texas
. Rhodes played two years at Tyler Junior College, where he earned All-America
honors and twice was named an all-conference selection.
Rhodes then attended Midwestern State University
where he was a standout running back.
, he was not chosen in the 2001 NFL Draft
. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts
.
In a 2001 game against the Kansas City Chiefs
, Rhodes returned a punt
for a touchdown
. In that game, the Indianapolis Colts' starting running back
, Edgerrin James
, injured his knee and ended his season. As a result, Rhodes was the starting
running back for the rest of the Colts' 2001 season
. That year, Rhodes ran for the most rushing yards by an undrafted rookie
in NFL history, with 1,104, despite only starting the final nine games of the season. Rhodes missed the entire 2002 season due to a torn ACL. After recovering, he backed up James from 2003-2005.
During the 2006 NFL season
, Rhodes split time with rookie running back Joseph Addai
, as James left for the Arizona Cardinals
. Rhodes finished the year with 641 yards and five touchdowns. On February 4, 2007, in Super Bowl XLI
, he scored a one-yard touchdown and rushed for over 100 yards to help the Colts claim a 29-17 victory.
for the 2007 free agency period. On March 9, he signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Oakland Raiders. On July 3 he was suspended for four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse
policy.
Rhodes was released by the Raiders on April 28, two days after they drafted running back Darren McFadden
fourth overall in the 2008 NFL Draft
.
, Mike Hart, and Donald Brown
out with injuries, they have had to rely on free agents to fill in at the running back position.
Rhodes finished the season with 37 carries for 172 yards and no touchdowns.
and Twitter
page announced on September 8th that they had signed Dominic Rhodes. He wore #33 with the team. Rhodes was named the UFL's offensive player of the year for 2011.
in Indianapolis, Indiana
at 3 a.m. He was pulled over by the Indiana State Police
and arrested for drunk driving
. Rhodes claimed at the time that he had only "two or three" alcoholic drinks; he failed two sobriety
tests with a blood alcohol content
of .09. He subsequently pleaded guilty and on March 21, 2007, was given a suspended 180-day sentence and fined $2,000.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He attended Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Midwestern State.
Rhodes also been a member of the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
between stints with the Colts and Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He earned a Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
with the Colts in Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
.
College career
After attending Abilene Cooper High SchoolAbilene Cooper High School
Cooper High School is a public, co-educational secondary school in Abilene, Texas. It opened in 1960, in part to handle the increase in school age youth resulting from the Post World War II Baby Boom...
, Rhodes was recruited by many major college programs including Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
and Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
. He signed instead with Tyler Junior College
Tyler Junior College
Tyler Junior College is a two-year community college in Tyler, Texas, United States. TJC is one of the largest community colleges in Texas, with an enrollment of more than 12,000 credit students each year with an additional 20,000 continuing education enrollments annually. Its West Campus includes...
in Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
. Rhodes played two years at Tyler Junior College, where he earned All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors and twice was named an all-conference selection.
Rhodes then attended Midwestern State University
Midwestern State University
Midwestern State University is a public liberal arts college in Wichita Falls, Texas, and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges...
where he was a standout running back.
First stint with Colts
After two years at Midwestern State University, Rhodes decided to go the NFL. Despite his college careerCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, he was not chosen in the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
.
In a 2001 game against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, Rhodes returned a punt
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
for a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
. In that game, the Indianapolis Colts' starting running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, Edgerrin James
Edgerrin James
Edgerrin Tyree James is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts fourth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami....
, injured his knee and ended his season. As a result, Rhodes was the starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
running back for the rest of the Colts' 2001 season
2001 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2001 Indianapolis Colts season was the 49th season for the team in the National Football League and 18th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 2001 season with a record of 6 wins and 10 losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division...
. That year, Rhodes ran for the most rushing yards by an undrafted rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
in NFL history, with 1,104, despite only starting the final nine games of the season. Rhodes missed the entire 2002 season due to a torn ACL. After recovering, he backed up James from 2003-2005.
During the 2006 NFL season
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
, Rhodes split time with rookie running back Joseph Addai
Joseph Addai
Joseph Addai, Jr. is an American football running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University.-Early years:Addai's family hails from Ghana in West Africa...
, as James left for the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Rhodes finished the year with 641 yards and five touchdowns. On February 4, 2007, in Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
, he scored a one-yard touchdown and rushed for over 100 yards to help the Colts claim a 29-17 victory.
Oakland Raiders
Rhodes became a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
for the 2007 free agency period. On March 9, he signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Oakland Raiders. On July 3 he was suspended for four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
policy.
Rhodes was released by the Raiders on April 28, two days after they drafted running back Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden is an American football running back who currently plays for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League . He played college football for the University of Arkansas from 2005 to 2007...
fourth overall in the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
.
Second stint with Colts
On May 7, 2008, Rhodes returned to the Colts on a one-year, $605,000 contract. During the 2008-09 season, Rhodes split time with Joseph Addai and ran for 538 yards and six touchdowns.Buffalo Bills
On April 17, 2009, Rhodes signed a two-year contract with the Bills. He was released on September 5, 2009.Florida Tuskers
Rhodes was signed by the UFL's Florida Tuskers for their 2010 season. During that season in the UFL, he set new single-season marks for total touchdowns (10), rushing yards (547) and all-purpose yards (918). He was third in the UFL in yards from scrimmage (652) and second in kickoff return average (21.7). Rhodes scored at least one touchdown in each of the first seven games of the season.Third stint with Colts
It was announced on December 7, 2010 that Dominic Rhodes had been signed by an injury-laden Colts team. With the Colts' Joseph AddaiJoseph Addai
Joseph Addai, Jr. is an American football running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University.-Early years:Addai's family hails from Ghana in West Africa...
, Mike Hart, and Donald Brown
Donald Brown (American football)
Donald Eugene Brown II is an American football running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was the starting running back for the University of Connecticut Huskies from 2006 to 2008.-High school career:Brown attended Red Bank Catholic High School in Red Bank, New...
out with injuries, they have had to rely on free agents to fill in at the running back position.
Rhodes finished the season with 37 carries for 172 yards and no touchdowns.
Free Agency and Suspension
After the 2010-2011, Rhodes became a free agent. On September 3, 2011, the NFL announced Rhodes had been suspended for one year for a third violation of the league's substance abuse policy. Almost 33 years old at the time, it is widely felt that the suspension means the end of his NFL career.Virginia Destroyers
The Virginia Destroyers FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page announced on September 8th that they had signed Dominic Rhodes. He wore #33 with the team. Rhodes was named the UFL's offensive player of the year for 2011.
Legal troubles
On February 20, 2007 Rhodes was driving 81 mi/h in a 55 mi/h zone on Interstate 65Interstate 65
Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. The southern terminus is located at an intersection with Interstate 10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 , U.S. Route 12, and U.S...
in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
at 3 a.m. He was pulled over by the Indiana State Police
Indiana State Police
The Indiana State Police is the statewide law enforcement agency for the state of Indiana. Indiana was the 12th state to offer protection to its citizens with a state police force.-History:...
and arrested for drunk driving
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
. Rhodes claimed at the time that he had only "two or three" alcoholic drinks; he failed two sobriety
Sobriety
Sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels, or effects from, alcohol or other drugs that alter ones mood or behaviors. According to WHO "Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms..." sobriety is continued abstinence from alcohol and psychoactive drug use...
tests with a blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content , also called blood alcohol concentration, blood ethanol concentration, or blood alcohol level is most commonly used as a metric of alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes....
of .09. He subsequently pleaded guilty and on March 21, 2007, was given a suspended 180-day sentence and fined $2,000.