Dante Julius Wesley (born April 5, 1979) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Wesley was also a member of the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and Detroit Lions.
 Wesley at the Carolina Panthers 2008 Fan Fest | |||||||||||
| No. 29, 21, 23, 33 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | April 5, 1979 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Pine Bluff (AR) Watson Chapel | ||||||||||
| College: | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2002 / Round: 4 / Pick: 100 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||
Professional career edit
First stint with Carolina Panthers edit
Wesley was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft.[1]
Chicago Bears edit
In March 2006 he signed a 2-year contract with the Chicago Bears.
New England Patriots edit
After one season with the Bears, Wesley was acquired by the New England Patriots for an undisclosed draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Second stint with Panthers edit
On September 3, 2007, after being released by the Patriots, he signed again with the Panthers.
Wesley scored his first career touchdown on a 12-yard fumble return against the New Orleans Saints in the 2008 season finale.
In the 2009 NFL season, during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Wesley hit the punt returner Clifton Smith, who had called for a fair catch but not yet received the ball. The Panthers were assessed a 15-yard penalty and he was ejected from the game.[2][3] Two days later, the NFL suspended Wesley for one game without pay. Wesley said he never meant to harm Smith, saying he merely mistimed his hit on him and wanted to apologize to Smith.[4]
Detroit Lions edit
Wesley signed with the Detroit Lions as an unrestricted free agent on April 3, 2010. Wesley was cut after the Lions had to go to the 53-man roster. He was re-signed by the Lions on September 30, 2010. He was released on October 19.
NFL statistics edit
| Year | Team | GP | COMB | TOTAL | AST | SACK | FF | FR | FR YDS | INT | IR YDS | AVG IR | LNG | TD | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | CAR | 13 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2003 | CAR | 16 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2004 | CAR | 13 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | CAR | 16 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2006 | CHI | 13 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | CAR | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | CAR | 16 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2009 | CAR | 15 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2010 | DET | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 107 | 104 | 94 | 10 | 2.0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
References edit
- ^ "2002 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
- ^ "Dante Wesley Ejected After Hit On Clifton Smith NFL Panthers Bucs". YouTube. 2009-10-18.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ "Wesley tossed; Smith has concussion". ESPN. AP. 2009-10-18.
- ^ Chandler, Charles. Wesley suspended one game without pay[permanent dead link]. The Charlotte Observer, 2009-10-20.
- ^ "Dante Wesley Stats". ESPN Internet. Retrieved 7 April 2014.