Dante Wesley

Dante Julius Wesley(born April 5, 1979) is an American former professionalfootballcornerback.He was selected by theCarolina Panthersin the fourth round of the2002 NFL draft.He playedcollege footballat theUniversity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.Wesley was also a member of theChicago Bears,New England PatriotsandDetroit Lions.

Dante Wesley

Wesley at theCarolina Panthers2008 Fan Fest
No. 29, 21, 23, 33
Position:	Cornerback
Personal information
Born:	(1979-04-05)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
Carolina Panthers(2002–2005) Chicago Bears(2006) New England Patriots(2007)* Carolina Panthers (2007–2009) Detroit Lions(2010)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
All-American(2001) First-team All-SWAC(2001) 2× second-team All-SWAC (1999-2000)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 104 Forced fumbles: 5 Fumble recoveries: 5 Pass deflections: 18 Defensive touchdowns: 1 StatsatPro Football Reference

Professional career

Carolina Panthers (first stint)

Wesley was selected by theCarolina Panthersin the fourth round (100th overall) of the2002 NFL draft.

Chicago Bears

In March2006he signed a 2-year contract with theChicago Bears.

New England Patriots

After one season with the Bears, Wesley was acquired by theNew England Patriotsfor an undisclosed draft pick in the2008 NFL draft.

Carolina Panthers (second stint)

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 theNew Orleans Saintsin the 2008 season finale.

In the 2009 NFL season, during a game against theTampa Bay Buccaneers,Wesley hit the punt returnerClifton 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.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.

Detroit Lions

Wesley signed with theDetroit Lionsas anunrestricted free agenton 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

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