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Anthony La'Ron Tony Hargrove (born July 20, 1983) is an American former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He was selected by the
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
in the third round of the
2004 NFL draft The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held from April 24–25, 2004, at the Theate ...
. He played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The teams have also been nicknamed the ...
. Hargrove also played for the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
as well as winning
Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) c ...
with the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
, beating
Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the In ...
and the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
. He was also a member of the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
and
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
in 2011, and
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
in 2012.


Early life

Hargrove played
high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...
at Port Charlotte High School in Florida. He played
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
and
free safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...
for the Pirates, before moving to defensive line in college.


College career

Hargrove started 13 of 24 games for the
Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...
Yellow Jackets, with 70 tackles (36 solo) with six sacks, 19 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and three passes defensed. He was academically ineligible for the season as a junior in 2003, but started every game at weakside defensive end as a sophomore.


Professional career


St. Louis Rams

Hargrove was selected in the third round (91st overall) by the
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
. On July 24, 2004, Hargrove signed a three-year $1.25 million contract with the Rams, including a signing bonus of $442,000. As a reserve in 2004, Hargrove played in 15 games and started two. He totaled 31 tackles (23 solo) and recorded one sack. In 2005, he was the Rams starting right defensive end, totaling 51 tackles (43 solo) and 6.5 sacks. In 2006, he played in four games with two starts and had five tackles and one-half sack. Early in the 2006 season Hargrove had an unexplained two-day absence which caused him to be made inactive and then traded.


Buffalo Bills

Hargrove was traded by the Rams to the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
on October 16, 2006, in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the
2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...
. Hargrove played in 10 games in 2006 and had 19 tackles (14 solo) and recorded a sack to make his 2006 totals 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks with both the Bills and Rams. On March 1, 2007, Hargrove signed the Bills' one-year tender of $850,000 for the 2007 season. In 2007, he played 12 games and made 28 tackles (18 solo) and had 1.5 sacks after serving a four-game suspension, which cost him $200,000 of his 2007 salary. On August 11, 2007, Hargrove was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the regular season for breaking the NFL's substance abuse policy. It was reported on January 18, 2008, that Hargrove had failed another drug test. Due to past violations of the NFL's substance abuse policy, Hargrove received a one-year suspension on January 24, 2008. It was announced he had been reinstated by the league on February 23, 2009.


New Orleans Saints

On May 18, 2009, Hargrove signed a contract with the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams moved Hargrove inside to defensive tackle where he flourished. On November 8 of the same year Hargrove validated the Saints' decision by recovering a
fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...
from the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
and scoring a 4th-quarter touchdown, sealing a 30–20 victory for the Saints. Besides the rare occurrence of a touchdown scored by a
defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...
, the game was Panthers coach John Fox's first loss in the
Louisiana Superdome Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome), commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium in the Southern United States, southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...
and put New Orleans at a season-starting eight wins and no losses for the first time in Saints history. Hargrove was a
restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in some sports leagues, such as the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the term ...
after the 2009 season, and it was reported that the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
were interesting in signing him, but on April 5, 2010, Hargrove signed the Saints' qualifying tender, and the Saints said he would return to the team in 2010. While a player for the Saints, Hargrove is alleged to have been involved in a bounty program where coaches offered extra payments to defensive players who injured or otherwise knocked key offensive players out of the game. Hargrove faced an eight-game suspension in conjunction with the scandal, and was alleged to have told NFL officials that Saints coaches had instructed players to lie to league officials about the existence of the program.


Philadelphia Eagles

The
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
signed Hargrove on August 3, 2011. He was released during final roster cuts on September 3.


Seattle Seahawks

The
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
signed Hargrove on September 9, 2011. On December 18, 2011, during a game against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
, wide receiver Johnny Knox sustained a serious back injury after attempting to recover his own fumble and clashing with Hargrove. Knox required immediate surgery in order to stabilize an injured vertebra. The injury forced him to retire from the NFL.


Green Bay Packers

The
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
signed Hargrove on March 29, 2012. On May 2, 2012, the NFL suspended Hargrove for the first eight games of the 2012 season after naming him as one of the ringleaders of the
New Orleans Saints bounty scandal The New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, colloquially known as "Bountygate", refers to the alleged illegal program in which the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) were claimed to have placed bounty (reward), bounties on oppos ...
. According to the league, Hargrove signed a statement admitting his role in the scheme, and also told at least one other player that the Saints had put a bounty on
Brett Favre Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 cons ...
in the 2009 NFC Championship Game. He'd also lied to investigators when the league initially probed the Saints about the bounty scandal in 2010. Hargrove, along with the other suspended players, intends to appeal. His suspension was later overturned. Hargrove was released on August 24, 2012. On October 9, 2012, four weeks and three days after an internal appeals panel vacated suspensions imposed on Hargrove, Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, Browns linebacker Scott Fujita and Saints defensive end
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...
, the league has re-issued the discipline without any changes or reductions, according to a league source. This meant that Vilma was suspended a full season, Fujita was suspended three games, Smith was suspended four games, and Hargrove was suspended eight games. On December 12, 2012, "In a sharp rebuke to his successor's handling of the NFL's bounty investigation, former commissioner Paul Tagliabue overturned the suspensions of four current and former New Orleans Saints players (including Hargrove) in a case that has preoccupied the league for almost a year."


Dallas Cowboys

The
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
signed Anthony Hargrove on May 16, 2013. Hargrove was released by the Cowboys on June 20.


Personal

When Hargrove was 6, the Brooklyn tenement where he lived with his mother and two of his four half-siblings burned down. He lived in homeless shelters and foster care until his mother died when he was 9. An aunt in Port Charlotte adopted him. Hargrove has said that he began abusing drugs during his time with the Rams. He went through a series of failed drug tests and other difficulties during his tenure with the Rams and the Bills. After his 2008 suspension, he spent more than a year in treatment centers in South Carolina and
North Miami Beach North Miami Beach (commonly referred to as NMB) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The City of North Miami Beach is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. Originally named "Fulford-by-the-Sea" in 1926, after ...
. Eight months after leaving the treatment center, he found himself back in Miami to play in the
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
. In view of his comeback, Hargrove's Saints teammates voted him the winner of their 2009
Ed Block Courage Award The Ed Block Courage Award is an annual award presented to a player from each team in the National Football League (NFL) who are voted for by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage. Named in memory of Ed Block, a ...
. In June 2011, Hargrove's older brother Terence Hargrove died after being stabbed numerous times in North Port Florida. Hargrove's daughter, Amiah, is a Freshman forward on the Nebraska Cornhuskers women's basketball team. His son, Tre Carroll, was on the FAU Basketball team that went on the run to the
Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...
in 2023 NCAA March Madness tournament.


Current

Hargrove has recently joined the MTV Mavericks Special Olympics team as the Speed and Agility trainer. He has also coached with
CoachUp CoachUp is a venture-funded startup company that connects athletes with private coaches. History CoachUp was founded in 2011 by former professional basketball player Jordan Fliegel with engineers Arian Radmand and Gabe Durazo. Its site, Coac ...
. In June 2016, Hargrove became an assistant coach for the
Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...
- Zeigler- Royalton (CZR) team (a cooperative team that represents two high schools in
Franklin County, Illinois Franklin County is a county in Southern Illinois. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 37,804. The largest city is West Frankfort and the county seat is Benton. This area of Southern Illinois is known locally as "Little Egypt". Histo ...
). In June 2017 he became head coach."Ex-NFL DL Anthony Hargrove named head football coach at Ill. school"
''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'', June 27, 2017.
In the spring of 2022, Hargrove was named the defensive line coach at Limestone University in Gaffney, SC, where he is a part of former NFL veteran Mike Furrey's staff.


References


External links


Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bio

Anthony Hargrove official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hargrove, Anthony 1983 births Living people Players of American football from Brooklyn People from Port Charlotte, Florida Sportspeople from Charlotte County, Florida Port Charlotte High School alumni American football defensive ends American football defensive tackles Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players St. Louis Rams players Buffalo Bills players New Orleans Saints players Philadelphia Eagles players Seattle Seahawks players Dallas Cowboys players Green Bay Packers players