Donte Whitner

Donte Whitner (born July 24, 1985) is an American football safety for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Ohio State University. He was drafted by the Bills in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft.

Early years
Whitner was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Glenville High School in Cleveland. After his senior high school football season he was invited to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl game. An excellent student, Whitner graduated with a 3.7 grade point average while majoring in Consumer Affairs. He is currently a student at SJSU.

When Whitner was 6 years old he was hit by an oncoming car after chasing a loose football down the street. He had up to 30 fractures in his legs from the impact and was told that he might not be able to walk again. The oncoming car suffered significant body damage. He spent 3 months in a full body cast but managed to recover from the ordeal.

Buffalo Bills
Whitner was drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the 8th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. In his first career game, Whitner recorded his first career interception against Tom Brady. The ruling on the field was a touchdown, but was later overruled when replay showed that Whitner had stepped out of bounds. He finished 2006 with 104 total tackles and one interception for 10 yards. In 2009, Whitner recorded his first career touchdown on a 76 yard interception return from Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Byron Leftwich in Week 2. His most productive game to date was in Week 12 of the 2010 season, where he recorded 18 total tackles against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

San Francisco 49ers
On August 4, 2011, Whitner signed with the San Francisco 49ers. After previously announcing on Twitter that he would be going to the Cincinnati Bengals, he changed his mind and signed with San Francisco. He agreed to a 3-year, $11.75 million deal with $4 million guaranteed. During the 2011 playoffs, Whitner became famous for making vicious hits like against Saints running back Pierre Thomas as he was driving for a touchdown. The hit forced a fumble recovered by the 49ers and took Thomas out for the rest of the game.