Charlie Peprah

Charles Yaw "Charlie" Peprah (born February 24, 1983) is an American football safety who plays for the Dallas Cowboys. After playing college football for Alabama, he was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played for the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2008, the Atlanta Falcons in 2009, and the Packers again from 2010 to 2011.

Early years
Peprah is the grandson of the former military president of Ghana, general Ignatius Kutu Acheampong. Ruling in a coup d’etat in 1972, Acheampong remained in power until 1977 and was executed in 1979 after a revolution. Acheampong's daughter Elizabeth Acheampong, the last family member to see her father alive, married Josh Peprah, a member of Acheampong's army, and immigrated to Europe and then the United States. Peprah was born in Fort Worth, Texas and has two brothers, Richard and Josh, college football players at Wyoming and Wisconsin respectively. When he was in middle school, his parents divorced, and his father returned to Ghana. Charlie Peprah attended Plano East Senior High School. As of 2011, Peprah's mother was still working as a Home Depot cashier.

College career
In 50 games with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Peprah totaled 310 tackles (163 solo), nine interceptions (returned two for touchdowns), five fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles, and 24 passes defensed. He played various positions for Alabama including right cornerback and safety. In 2004, Peprah was an Academic All-SEC selection, and as a senior in 2005, Peprah was a second-team All-SEC pick. At the 2004 Music City Bowl, Peprah recorded a season-high 11 tackles, 10 of which were solo, but Alabama lost to Minnesota. At the 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic, he had three tackles and a pass defense against Texas Tech, and Alabama won 13-10. Peprah graduated from Alabama with a bachelor's degree in marketing and master's degree in financial planning.

2006
The New York Giants drafted Peprah in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft, and the Green Bay Packers claimed Peprah off waivers on September 3, 2006.

Peprah played eight games for the Packers and four preseason games for the Giants. On December 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, Peprah ran down Brandon Williams, stopping his punt return at 25 yards. On December 31 against the Chicago Bears, Peprah pushed Bernard Berrian out of bounds after Berrian completed a punt return for seven yards.

2007
In his second season with the Packers, Peprah played for all 16 regular season and two playoff games for the Packers. Peprah forced a fumble from kick returner Ahmad Bradshaw in the September 16 match against Peprah's former team New York Giants. Tracy White recovered the fumble, and the Packers later scored a touchdown and won the game 35-13. On November 22 against the Detroit Lions, Peprah made the first stops of his career with two solo tackles and overall in the season made three special teams tackles.

2008
With one start, Peprah played 13 games in 2008 with 19 tackles, two passes defensed, and nine stops on special teams.

2009
On November 4, 2009, Peprah signed as a free agent to the Atlanta Falcons and played two games with Atlanta on special teams.

2010
The Packers re-signed Peprah on April 26, 2010. After playing on special teams on weeks 1 and 2, Peprah spent the third and fourth games of the season sidelined by a thigh injury. In the October 31 game against the New York Jets, Peprah made five tackles and a quarterback pressure, broke up consecutive Jets passes, and knock the ball out of Jerricho Cotchery's possession on a fourth down running attempt.

Peprah was the leading tackler for the Packers in Super Bowl XLV, a 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Peprah recorded 10 tackles (9 solo). He was the only player in the game to record double digit tackles.

2011
On March 4, 2011, the Packers re-signed Peprah to a 2-year, $2.5 million deal.

On November 6, 2011, he recorded his first interception return for a touchdown in a game against the San Diego Chargers.

2012
The Packers released Peprah on July 25, 2012 after he failed a physical.

The Cowboys agreed to terms with Peprah on October 23, 2012.