R. Jay Soward

R. Jay Soward

No. 81, 18, 3
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1978-01-16)January 16, 1978 Rialto, California,U.S.
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	184 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:	Fontana (CA)
College:	USC
NFL draft:	2000/ round: 1 / pick: 29
Career history
Jacksonville Jaguars(2000–2004) Toronto Argonauts(2004–2006) Ontario Warriors(2012)
Career highlights and awards
Grey Cupchampion (2004) 2× Second-teamAll-Pac-10(1997,1998)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 14 Receiving yards: 154 Receiving touchdowns: 1 StatsatPro Football Reference
Statsat CFL.ca(archive)

Rodney Jay Soward(born January 16, 1978) is an American former professionalfootballplayer who was awide receiverin theNational Football League(NFL) andCanadian Football League(CFL). He playedcollege footballfor theUSC Trojansand was selected by theJacksonville Jaguarsin the first round of the2000 NFL draft.Multiple suspensions derailed his career and he was indefinitely suspended by the NFL in 2002. He later played for theToronto Argonautsof theCanadian Football League(CFL), with whom he won theGrey Cup.

College career

Soward burst onto thecollege footballscene with a 4-touchdowngame againstUCLAin his freshman season withUSC.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	Vertical jump	Broad jump
5 ft9+1⁄2in (1.77 m)	177 lb (80 kg)	31+3⁄4in (0.81 m)	9+1⁄2in (0.24 m)	4.34 s	1.46 s	2.52 s	35.0 in (0.89 m)	10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)
All values fromNFL Combine

Jacksonville Jaguars

TheJacksonville Jaguarsselected Soward with their first-round selection (29th overall) in the2000 NFL draft.He did not take the pressure of being a first-round selection very well stating: "I think the hardest part for me was dealing with all the pressure after getting drafted. I didn’t play well my first year so people wore on me a lot. I wish I would have went toNew Orleansin the second round. I wish I hadn't ever been a first round draft pick. I felt that New Orleans had a better staff to suit me at that time. I think being with those guys would have changed my future in the NFL. "He signed a five-year contract with the team for $5.5 million on July 14, 2000.

After wearing out his welcome with the Jaguars in training camp, before playing in his first game under head coachTom Coughlin(who had gone so far as to send a limousine, at the team's expense, to pick up Soward every day for practice, just to make sure he would come), he was suspended several times by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

He was ruled inactive for the team's first game in2000,but played in the next 12 games. He was ruled inactive for the team's week 15 game against theArizona Cardinalsfor violating a team rule. He returned to play in week 16, until he was placed on the team's non-football illness list on December 21, 2000, ending his season.

On June 9, 2001, he was suspended for the first four games of the2001 seasonfor violating the league's substance abuse policy.He was suspended an additional six games on October 11 for violating the policy a second time.On December 3, he was activated from the suspended list,but was inactive for the week 12 game. The Jaguars suspended him for one game on December 8 for violating team rules.He was suspended indefinitely by the team on December 11,but had to be reactivated for the season-finale against theChicago Bearsper league rules that state a team can only suspend a player for four games at a time. He was inactive for the game.He was suspended by the NFL for the entire 2002 season on January 10, 2002, for violating the league's substance abuse policy again.The Florida Times-Unionreported that Soward remained on the Jaguars' roster through the 2002 season forsalary cappurposes.

He did not file for reinstatement after his last suspension. Though many media outlets attributed the suspension to marijuana, his suspension came as a result ofalcohol abuse.Soward recollected: "I can honestly say I was analcoholicat that time in my life. That's why I'm not playing in the NFL, because I was an alcoholic at that time. "After entering the NFL'ssubstance abuseprogram, Soward was critical about its effectiveness, stating: "It was horrible counseling. I've been in everyrehabcentre known to man. They even had the nerve to put me in rehab inMiami,thedrugcapital of the world. I don't really think the rehabilitation process is very good for players down there. I think it is more of a disciplinary kind of rehabilitation which doesn't teach anybody anything. For me, the more they took away from me the more it made me want to drink, the more it made me want to feel depressed, the more it made me want to feel bad about me. "

Soward ended his lone season in the NFL appearing in 13 games, and caught 14 passes for 154 yards with one touchdown.That touchdown came against theWashington Redskins,in which he beatDeion Sandersto the end zone. It was the second time in the game that Sowell had beaten Sanders, but he had dropped the ball. This fact was highlighted in the Jaguars media guide for the 2001 season.

Toronto Argonauts

On May 18, 2004, theToronto Argonautssigned Soward to a contract while he was still under contract with the Jaguars.As an Argonaut, his primary role in the offense was as afly routereceiver that stretched the defense and whose long receptions usually translated into touchdowns. In his first year with the team—his first meaningful game action in four years—Soward went on to win aGrey Cup Championship.

In 2005, Soward and the Argonauts were unable to repeat as back-to-back champions, losing the Eastern Division Championship to theMontreal Alouettes.In that game, Soward was dubiously remembered for an overzealoustouchdown celebration.After scoring a touchdown, he ran into aconcession standsetup behind theend zone,grabbed a bag ofpopcorn,and shared it with a teammate and nearby fans. Though his touchdown helped to put his team up 14–0 after the first quarter, the Argos got outscored 33–3 for the next three quarters. That led many to believe that Soward's timing for his celebration stunt was not only premature, but acatalystthat fired up the Alouettes. He said: "It was a very spontaneous thing and I apologize to the people ofTorontoif they feel I took away our opportunity, but I was just making an atmosphere where people can enjoy the game and see something different. "

In 2006, when asked about the popcorn incident prior to a rematch against theAlouettes,Soward stated that he felt the criticism against him was unjust and that he would do it again if the opportunity presented itself.He told Los Angeles radio stationKLACthat he got the popcorn idea from seeingKeyshawn Johnsondo it after scoring a touchdown when he was playing football for West Los Angeles College. During the East Division semi-final that year, Soward caught the game-winning touchdown to help the Argonauts advance to the division finals which they went on to lose against the Alouettes in Montreal.

On December 15, 2006, Soward was released by the Argonauts. Since then he has been making a living in repairing televisions and working in a warehouse.

Ontario Warriors

For the 2012 season, Soward signed to play with theOntario Warriors.

External links

• ESPN page
• USC Trojans page