Ricky Manning

Richard "Ricky" Manning, Jr. (born November 18, 1980 in Fresno, California) is an American football cornerback for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA.

Manning has also been a member of the Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders.

Early years
Manning played high school football at Edison High School in Fresno.

College career
Manning started 45 consecutive games for UCLA, which ranks as the second longest streak in school history. His 13 interceptions tie him for seventh all-time among Bruin players. In addition, he made first-team All-Pac-10 for his last three years.

Carolina Panthers
Manning was taken in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft by Carolina. His first pick came in only his second game, as he intercepted Atlanta Falcons quarterback Doug Johnson. With injuries to the secondary, Manning eventually took over a starting role. His first interception to be returned for a touchdown came against the New York Giants. But he will be forever remembered by Panther fans for his performance during the 2003-04 NFL playoffs. In the NFC Divisional game against the St. Louis Rams, Manning's timely interception of Marc Bulger set up the game-winning touchdown to propel the Panthers into the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. There, Manning made a permanent mark on Panther history by intercepting Donovan McNabb three times en route to the Panthers' victory. Manning became the first rookie to win Defensive Player of the Week honors twice in the same postseason.

During the Panthers' injury-riddled 2004 season, Manning helped anchor a defense that ranked first in the league in interceptions. Against the Rams, Manning and teammate Dan Morgan picked off two passes each, the first game where a pair of teammates had a pair of interceptions in three years.

Chicago Bears
Ricky became a restricted free agent in the following offseason, and the Bears signed him to an offer sheet on April 21. The Panthers declined to match Chicago's offer, and received a third round pick from the Bears in the 2006 NFL Draft. Manning intercepted five passes during the 2006 season. He intercepted two passes from Matt Hasselbeck, and later returned an interception for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings during week thirteen. He also had an interception during the Divisional Playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks.

Manning saw minimal playtime during the 2007 season, and was used a nickelback. He has since been working with the team's third string defense, and tutored Danieal Manning, who would eventually replace him as the team's nickelback. On 26 August 2008, the Chicago Bears released Ricky after a two-year stint.

St. Louis Rams
On August 31, 2008, Manning agreed to terms with the St. Louis Rams. He officially signed the following day. Then on October 14, 2008, Manning was placed on injured reserve after injuring his foot in a game against the Washington Redskins.

Oakland Raiders
Manning signed with the Oakland Raiders on August 15, 2009 after the team released tight end John Paul Foschi. Manning was released on August 24.

Legal troubles
On April 23, 2006, Manning attacked a man, Soroush Sabzi, in a Denny's restaurant after teasing him for working on a laptop computer. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly fighting a man and eventually pled no contest to felony assault. Manning faced up to four years in prison because of a previous assault charge in 2002, for which he received probation.

Two days before the incident the Bears had signed Manning to an offer sheet. In light of the assault charges, the Panthers declined to match Chicago's offer and so Manning signed a $21 million deal with the Bears two days later. In September 2006, Manning pled no contest to felony assault in exchange for another probation deal. Later, Manning proclaimed his innocence. He acknowledged having words with the victim then pushing him in the head—but after that, according to him, his former UCLA teammates did the damage. "Yeah, I did it" explained Manning (AP report). "If I don't plea to this I have to go through trial. We're in season now. Then I'd have to put it in the hands of a jury. There are tons of things that can happen with a jury... I just can't risk that."

Manning's previous 2002 assault charge resulted from a fight between Manning and bodybuilders Brian Herbert and Seth Spiker outside a Westwood bar. Originally charged with two counts of felony assault, Manning pled not guilty to one count after the other was dropped.

The NFL suspended him for one game for this incident.