Marcus Stroud

Marcus LaVar Stroud (born June 25, 1978) is a former American Football defensive tackle. He was originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars 13th overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia. He was also been a member of the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots.

Early years
Stroud won a state title with Brooks County High School in 1994. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1996 while still in high school which featured a cover story of National Signing Day. Stroud, at the time a 6&prime;6&Prime;, 266-pound defensive end, originally gave Florida a verbal commitment but changed his mind after Bulldogs coach Ray Goff was fired in November 1995. After heavy pursuit from new Georgia coach Jim Donnan, Stroud switched back to Georgia on Signing Day.

College career
Marcus played college football for the University of Georgia. At Georgia, his teammates included future NFL players Jonas Jennings, Kendrell Bell, Will Witherspoon, Richard Seymour, Tony Gilbert, Johnathan Sullivan, Charles Grant, Josh Mallard and Jamie Henderson.

Marcus is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Stroud was selected 13th in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Jaguars. The 2001 NFL Draft is considered by many experts to be the finest draft for defensive tackles in draft history. The 2001 class included fellow Pro Bowl selections Richard Seymour, Casey Hampton and Kris Jenkins.

He and John Henderson helped give the Jaguars one of the more dominant defensive tackles duos in the NFL. As a duo, they were nicknamed Hurricane Henderstroud.

Marcus Stroud was selected to the Pro Bowl following the 2003, 2004 and 2005 NFL seasons.

Stroud was suspended in 2007 for four games without pay for violating the league's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

Buffalo Bills
On March 1, 2008 Stroud was traded to the Buffalo Bills for third- and fifth-round picks in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Stroud was immediately deemed one of the key players to the Bills’ 2008 season, and Stroud said he is ready for the pressure, stating he believes the Bills’ run defense can vault at least 10 places.

On April 7, 2009, Stroud signed a two-year contract extension that guarantees him $12 million and pays him $16 million. In combination with the existing terms of his contract, Stroud could earn $28 million over the next four seasons. Stroud was released February 16, 2011 by the Bills.

New England Patriots
On March 1, 2011 the New England Patriots signed defensive lineman Stroud to a two-year contract. He was released on July 28.

Retirement
In June 2012, Stroud signed a one-day contract with the Jaguars and announced his retirement. He became the fifth player to re-sign with Jacksonville before retiring, joining Tony Boselli, Fred Taylor, Paul Spicer and Donovin Darius.

Car accident
Stroud escaped injury in 2005, when he rolled his SUV while driving on Florida’s Interstate 10 outside of Jacksonville.

Community
Stroud hosted the Marcus Stroud 99 Pro Bowl Football Camp For Kids in May 2009 at Brooks County’s Veterans Stadium in Georgia. Several NFL players, including Mike Peterson and Verron Haynes of the Atlanta Falcons, and George Wilson, Donte Whitner, Kavika Mitchell, Marcus Buggs and Drayton Florence of the Buffalo Bills contributed to the free camp.

Acting
In 2012, Stroud made his film debut with a supporting role in Think Like a Man, a film directed by Tim Story. It is an adaptation of Steve Harvey's book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.