LaVar Arrington
Encyclopedia
LaVar RaShad Arrington (born June 30, 1978) is a former American football
linebacker
of the National Football League
. He was drafted second overall by the Washington Redskins
in the 2000 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Penn State
for coach Joe Paterno
.
A two-time All-America
n at Penn State, Arrington played six seasons for the Redskins and one season for the New York Giants
. He was a three-time Pro Bowl
selection and three-time All-Pro
selection.
and running back
at North Hills Senior High School
in Pittsburgh
. After his senior year, he was named the 1996 Parade
National Player of the Year, the Bobby Dodd National Offensive Player of the Year, the Gatorade
Player of the Year and USA Today
Pennsylvania Player of the Year. He became the second player in Pennsylvania Class 4-A history to rush
for more than 4,000 career yards, with 4,357 on 711 carries and 72 touchdowns. He played in the 1997 Big 33 Football Classic
, the annual game between Pennsylvania and Ohio's best high school football players.
Arrington also played basketball
and track and field. He was recruited to play basketball for Georgetown
, UMass
, and North Carolina
.
He was inducted into the WPIAL
Hall of Fame on June 24, 2011.
at Penn State
. His signature play with the Nittany Lions came during a game against Illinois
. On a fourth and short play, Arrington anticipated the snap count and jumped over the offensive line to tackle the runner in the backfield. The play became known as "The LaVar Leap". Arrington's tendency for spectacular plays and his cover appearance on Sports Illustrated
's 1999 College Football Preview Issue led many to mention him as a possible Heisman Trophy
candidate. Arrington received many honors during his time at Penn State, including the Chuck Bednarik
, Dick Butkus
, and Lambert Awards in 1999. He was an All Big-Ten
selection and twice a first team All-America
n. Arrington finished ninth in balloting for the 1999 Heisman Trophy. He left Penn State after his junior season to enter the NFL draft.
second overall in the 2000 NFL Draft
by the Washington Redskins
. His Penn State teammate Courtney Brown
, was selected ahead of him by the Cleveland Browns
. Penn State became only the second school to have teammates go first and second overall in the NFL draft, after the University of Nebraska with Irving Fryar
and Dean Steinkuhler
in 1984
.
After four seasons with the Redskins, Arrington signed an eight-year, $68 million contract extension. His agent Carl Poston was accused of neglecting to inspect the final revision of the contract, in which $6.5 million worth of bonuses contained in earlier drafts were missing. Poston was eventually suspended for two years by the NFL players' union
(NFLPA) over the mishandling of Arrington's contract. Arrington did not support Poston's suspension by the NFLPA. Arrington's final two seasons with the Redskins were marred by knee injuries and conflicts with coaches Joe Gibbs
and Gregg Williams
. In March 2006 Arrington paid the Redskins $4.4 million to buy his free agency.
. He was injured in week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys
and missed the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon
. On February 12, 2007, he was released by the New York Giants
.
, saying "things could change at some point, but as of this moment LaVar is focused on playing." On April 18, 2007, a Washington Post
article by Jason LaCanfora reported that Arrington was rumored to be leaning strongly towards retirement. A September 23, 2007, New York Daily News
article confirmed his retirement.
before the Redskins' 2007 season week 3
loss to the Giants. He became a permanent member of the Comcast team on October 14 for the Green Bay Packers
game.
He returned to Comcast SportsNet's on-air lineup for week 3 of the 2008 NFL season
, appearing on the pregame and postgame shows, and on Washington Post Live. Comcast also featured a segment entitled “Life on the Sidelines with LaVar Arrington” during its Redskins Kickoff program on game days.
Arrington now does a weekday afternoon radio talk show in Washington, DC with DJ
Chad Dukes
, titled "The LaVar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes." The inaugural show aired on July 20, 2009, on 106.7 The Fan
.
firm, Leap Management, LLC, in 2008. The firm's first clients were 2009 NFL Draft
prospects Aaron Maybin
, Derrick Williams, Josh Gaines
, and Tyrell Sales.
, following his portrayal of Kunta Kinte
in the 1977 television miniseries Roots
. He has an older brother, Michael, who played basketball at Slippery Rock University and a younger brother, Eric. His father, Michael, became an ordained minister after he retired from the military. His mother, Carolyn, is a special education teacher in the Pittsburgh public school system. Arrington lives in Anne Arundel County, Maryland
with his wife Trishia. The couple has three children: daughter Marlee, born in December 2005, and twins, LaVar and Laila, born May 2007.
Arrington opened a restaurant named The Sideline in Landover, Maryland
on January 30, 2008. In March 2009 one man was killed and six other people were injured after an argument ended in a burst of gunfire just outside the main entrance to the restaurant. The restaurant went bankrupt and closed in December 2009.
Arrington appeared in several television commercials for Eastern Motors with fellow athletes Carmelo Anthony
, Clinton Portis
, the late Sean Taylor
, and Antawn Jamison
. He appeared on a 2002 episode of the TLC
program While You Were Out
, where he helped redesign a room for his brother, Michael. Arrington served as a judge for ESPN's Dream Job
.
accident in suburban Maryland
. He was on the Route 50 off-ramp to the Capital Beltway
when he lost control of his motorcycle, striking a guardrail. Arrington was rushed to Prince George's Medical Center, in serious but stable condition. Arrington sustained a broken right forearm, broken lower vertebrae, and deep cuts to his leg. He was issued two citations, one for failure to control speed to avoid a collision, the other for operating a vehicle without a class license that contributed to a crash.
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...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted second overall by the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
in the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
. 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 Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
for coach Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...
.
A two-time 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...
n at Penn State, Arrington played six seasons for the Redskins and one season for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was a three-time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selection and three-time All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
selection.
High school
Arrington played linebackerLinebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
and 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...
at North Hills Senior High School
North Hills Senior High School
North Hills Senior High School is a suburban high school located in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. The school's mascot is the Indians and its official colors are red and white....
in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. After his senior year, he was named the 1996 Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
National Player of the Year, the Bobby Dodd National Offensive Player of the Year, the Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
Player of the Year and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
Pennsylvania Player of the Year. He became the second player in Pennsylvania Class 4-A history to rush
Rush (American football)
Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football .-Offense:The first is an action taken by the offensive team that means to advance the ball by running, as opposed to passing. A run is technically any play that does not involve a forward pass...
for more than 4,000 career yards, with 4,357 on 711 carries and 72 touchdowns. He played in the 1997 Big 33 Football Classic
Big 33 Football Classic
The Big 33 Football Classic is an all-star American football game featuring the top high-school football players in Pennsylvania. Played since 1957, the game is often described as the "Super Bowl of High School Football." The last 14 contests have pitted players from Pennsylvania against players...
, the annual game between Pennsylvania and Ohio's best high school football players.
Arrington also played basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and track and field. He was recruited to play basketball for Georgetown
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, UMass
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
, and North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
.
He was inducted into the WPIAL
Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The league is colloquially known as "WIP-ee-al"...
Hall of Fame on June 24, 2011.
College
Arrington played college footballCollege 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 Penn State
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
. His signature play with the Nittany Lions came during a game against Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. On a fourth and short play, Arrington anticipated the snap count and jumped over the offensive line to tackle the runner in the backfield. The play became known as "The LaVar Leap". Arrington's tendency for spectacular plays and his cover appearance on Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
's 1999 College Football Preview Issue led many to mention him as a possible Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
candidate. Arrington received many honors during his time at Penn State, including the Chuck Bednarik
Chuck Bednarik Award
The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive collegiate football player adjudged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States...
, Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus Award
The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football...
, and Lambert Awards in 1999. He was an All Big-Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
selection and twice a first team 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...
n. Arrington finished ninth in balloting for the 1999 Heisman Trophy. He left Penn State after his junior season to enter the NFL draft.
Washington Redskins
Arrington was selectedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
second overall in the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
by the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. His Penn State teammate Courtney Brown
Courtney Brown (football)
Courtney Lanair Brown is a former defensive end for the Cleveland Browns & Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Browns first overall in the 2000 NFL Draft...
, was selected ahead of him by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Penn State became only the second school to have teammates go first and second overall in the NFL draft, after the University of Nebraska with Irving Fryar
Irving Fryar
Irving Dale Fryar is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League.Fryar grew up in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey and played high school football at Rancocas Valley Regional High School...
and Dean Steinkuhler
Dean Steinkuhler
-College career:Steinkuhler attended the University of Nebraska, where he won the Outland Trophy, given to the nation's top offensive lineman, in 1983. This marked the third consecutive time a Cornhusker had won the award as Dave Rimington had won back to back Outland Trophies in 1981 and 1982...
in 1984
1984 NFL Draft
The 1984 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 1-2, 1984. No teams elected to claim any players in the regular supplemental draft that...
.
After four seasons with the Redskins, Arrington signed an eight-year, $68 million contract extension. His agent Carl Poston was accused of neglecting to inspect the final revision of the contract, in which $6.5 million worth of bonuses contained in earlier drafts were missing. Poston was eventually suspended for two years by the NFL players' union
National Football League Players' Association
The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is the labor organization for the professional football players in the National Football League . It has been at times a professional association, as well as a labor union...
(NFLPA) over the mishandling of Arrington's contract. Arrington did not support Poston's suspension by the NFLPA. Arrington's final two seasons with the Redskins were marred by knee injuries and conflicts with coaches Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs
Joe Jackson Gibbs is a former American football coach, NASCAR Championship team owner, and two time NHRA Pro Stock team owner. He was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins...
and Gregg Williams
Gregg Williams
Gregg Williams is the defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints and the former head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Considered one of the most respected defensive minds in the game, Williams is known for running aggressive, attacking 4-3 schemes that put heavy pressure on opposing...
. In March 2006 Arrington paid the Redskins $4.4 million to buy his free agency.
New York Giants
In April, 2006 Arrington agreed to a seven-year, $49 million contract with the New York GiantsNew York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was injured in week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and missed the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
. On February 12, 2007, he was released by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Retirement
Arrington's agent Kevin Poston initially stated that his client intended to play during the 2007 NFL season2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, saying "things could change at some point, but as of this moment LaVar is focused on playing." On April 18, 2007, a Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
article by Jason LaCanfora reported that Arrington was rumored to be leaning strongly towards retirement. A September 23, 2007, New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
article confirmed his retirement.
Career statistics
| Year | Team | G | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | INTTDs | FFums | DefTDs | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Washington | 16 | 55 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2001 | Washington | 14 | 99 | 0.5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 2002 | Washington | 16 | 95 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| 2003 | Washington | 16 | 90 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 11 |
| 2004 | Washington | 4 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2005 | Washington | 12 | 47 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2006 | NY Giants | 6 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Totals | 84 | 415 | 23.5 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 38 |
Broadcasting career
Arrington started working on pregame and postgame shows for Comcast SportsNetComcast SportsNet
Comcast SportsNet is a group of regional sports networks in the United States primarily owned by the Comcast cable television company....
before the Redskins' 2007 season week 3
2007 Washington Redskins season
The 2007 Washington Redskins season was the team's 75th season, and saw the team achieve a record of 9-7 and a playoff appearance. This was an improvement over the 2006 season in which they went 5-11 and finished last in the NFC East....
loss to the Giants. He became a permanent member of the Comcast team on October 14 for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
game.
He returned to Comcast SportsNet's on-air lineup for week 3 of the 2008 NFL season
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
, appearing on the pregame and postgame shows, and on Washington Post Live. Comcast also featured a segment entitled “Life on the Sidelines with LaVar Arrington” during its Redskins Kickoff program on game days.
Arrington now does a weekday afternoon radio talk show in Washington, DC with DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Chad Dukes
Chad Dukes (radio personality)
Chad Dukes is a radio personality co-host of the "The LaVar Arrington show with Chad Dukes" and formerly a co-host of the Big O and Dukes Show on WJFK-FM in Washington, D.C.-Early life:...
, titled "The LaVar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes." The inaugural show aired on July 20, 2009, on 106.7 The Fan
WJFK-FM
WJFK-FM, known on-air as 106.7 The Fan, is a sports radio-formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Manassas, Virginia, serving the metro Washington DC area...
.
Sports management
Arrington formed a sport managementSport management
Sport management is a field of education and vocation concerning the business aspect of sport. Some examples of sport managers include the front office system in professional sports, college sports managers, recreational sport managers, sports marketing, event management, facility management,...
firm, Leap Management, LLC, in 2008. The firm's first clients were 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
prospects Aaron Maybin
Aaron Maybin
-Buffalo Bills:On August 21, 2009, Maybin agreed to a five-year deal with the Buffalo Bills after being drafted with the 11th pick in the first round. He finished the season with 18 tackles and zero sacks while playing in all 16 regular season games during his 2009 rookie year.In his second season,...
, Derrick Williams, Josh Gaines
Josh Gaines
Joshua Lamar "Josh" Gaines is a professional gridiron football defensive end who is currently a free agent of the Arena Football League. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
, and Tyrell Sales.
Personal
Arrington was named after LeVar BurtonLeVar Burton
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, Jr. , professionally known as LeVar Burton, is an American actor, director, producer and author who first came to prominence portraying Kunta Kinte in the 1977 award-winning ABC television miniseries Roots, based on the novel by Alex Haley...
, following his portrayal of Kunta Kinte
Kunta Kinte
Kunta Kinte is the central character of the novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family by American author Alex Haley, and of the television miniseries Roots, based on the book. Haley described his book as faction - a mixture of fact and fiction...
in the 1977 television miniseries Roots
Roots (TV miniseries)
Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
. He has an older brother, Michael, who played basketball at Slippery Rock University and a younger brother, Eric. His father, Michael, became an ordained minister after he retired from the military. His mother, Carolyn, is a special education teacher in the Pittsburgh public school system. Arrington lives in Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
with his wife Trishia. The couple has three children: daughter Marlee, born in December 2005, and twins, LaVar and Laila, born May 2007.
Arrington opened a restaurant named The Sideline in Landover, Maryland
Landover, Maryland
Landover is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, within the census-designated place of Greater Landover. The Prince Georges County Sports and Learning Complex is in Landover...
on January 30, 2008. In March 2009 one man was killed and six other people were injured after an argument ended in a burst of gunfire just outside the main entrance to the restaurant. The restaurant went bankrupt and closed in December 2009.
Arrington appeared in several television commercials for Eastern Motors with fellow athletes Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kiyan Anthony , nicknamed "Melo", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association...
, Clinton Portis
Clinton Portis
Clinton Earl Portis is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, the late Sean Taylor
Sean Taylor
Sean Michael Maurice Taylor was an American football free safety who played for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Taylor was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Redskins...
, and Antawn Jamison
Antawn Jamison
Antawn Cortez Jamison is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association . He currently plays power forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers and was a member of the USA National Team for the 2006 FIBA World Championships...
. He appeared on a 2002 episode of the TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
program While You Were Out
While You Were Out
While You Were Out was an hour-long American television reality program that aired episodes on the cable channel TLC. The format of the show is similar to TLC's Trading Spaces...
, where he helped redesign a room for his brother, Michael. Arrington served as a judge for ESPN's Dream Job
Dream Job
Dream Job is an American reality television show from ESPN, which began on February 22, 2004. It was the network's second reality show, with two editions of Beg, Borrow & Deal having previously aired. However, this was the first reality show from a network to offer its winner an on-air place on one...
.
Motorcycle accident
On June 18, 2007, Arrington was involved in a serious motorcycleMotorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
accident in suburban Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He was on the Route 50 off-ramp to the Capital Beltway
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
when he lost control of his motorcycle, striking a guardrail. Arrington was rushed to Prince George's Medical Center, in serious but stable condition. Arrington sustained a broken right forearm, broken lower vertebrae, and deep cuts to his leg. He was issued two citations, one for failure to control speed to avoid a collision, the other for operating a vehicle without a class license that contributed to a crash.
External links
- Official NFL Player Page
- Leap Management, LLC website
- Lavar Arrington's Career Statistics @ sports.yahoo.com
- "Giants Sign LB LaVar Arrington" New York Giants website, April 22, 2006
- "Arrington Supports His Agent in Court" The Houston Chronicle April 23, 2006
- The Pennsylvania Football News All-Century Team
- Lavar Arrington Stats
- "Arrington gives first interview after near-fatal crash", New York Daily NewsNew York Daily NewsThe Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
, September 23, 2007 - The Sideline, Arrington's Landover, MD restaurant.
- Linebacker U, Arrington's State College, PA restaurant.
- "Arrington tutors protégé Bowman", The Daily Collegian, October 14, 2008