Aveion Marquel Cason (born July 12, 1979) 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 ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

and

kick returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

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) for 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 ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

. He also was a member of the

Florida Tuskers Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

in the United Football League (UFL). 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 ...

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

Early life

Cason attended Lakewood High School in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

. As a junior, he rushed for 980 yards and averaged nearly 38.0-yards per kickoff return. He did not play football during his senior year after transferring to a different school.

College career

Cason accepted a football scholarship from

. As a freshman in 1998, he posted 124 carries for 728 yards and 8

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s, while making 23 receptions for 230 yards. As a sophomore in 1999, he had 45 carries for 378 rushing yards (third on the team) and 6

s, 34 receptions for 278 yards and 2

s, along with a 28.1-yard average on kickoff returns, ranking him seventh in NCAA Division I-AA. As a junior in 2000, he was suspended for the season after being ruled academically ineligible. The next year he declared for the

NFL Draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

Professional career

St. Louis Rams (first stint)

Cason was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

after the

2001 NFL draft The 2001 NFL draft was the 66th draft annual of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at the Th ...

and was moved to

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. He returned 4 kickoffs for 73 yards in the season opener. He was waived on September 26 and signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. He was released on October 1.

Kansas City Chiefs

On October 3, 2001, he was signed to the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

Detroit Lions (first stint)

On November 19, 2001, he was signed by the

from the Chiefs'

, to replace an injured Brian Calhoun. He played in the last five games, tallying 11 carries for 31 yards and 4 receptions for 32 yards. In

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, his first career start came in the season opener against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, making 2 receptions for 37 yards, including a 19-yard catch. He suffered meniscus damage in his right knee during practice on September 19, which required arthroscopic surgery. He was deactivated against 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 ...

and 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 ...

. He returned to practice on October 7. He led the Lions with a career-high 57 receiving yards on 3 catches 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 ...

, but suffered a right ankle sprain. The injury kept him inactive against 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 ...

. A sprained right MCL limited him to two receptions for 17 yards against the N.Y Jets and kept him inactive for the next 3 games. With running back

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...

sidelined due to injury, Cason was given the starter job against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, posting a season-high 62 rushing yards on 10 carries (6.2 avg.), while having a run of 40 yards and a career-long reception of 37 yards. During the season, he rushed 26 times for 107 yards (4.1-yard average), had 19 receptions for 88 yards (15.2-yard average) and 2

s, while returning 2 kicks with an average of 24.0 yards. On April 27, 2003, he was traded to the

in exchange for a seventh-round draft choice (#236-Brandon Drumm).

Dallas Cowboys

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, he reunited with Maurice Carthon who was his offensive coordinator with the

. He earned the team's third-down back role over Michael Wiley. In the season opener against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

, he took his first carry 63 yards for a touchdown, the longest run by a Cowboy during the season. He finished the Falcons game with a career-high 77 rushing yards on two carries and also had 2 receptions for 29 yards. He was declared inactive against the

and

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

. He led all running backs with 25 yards on four carries (6.4 yard avg.) against the

on Thanksgiving Day, while adding two receptions for 17 yards. He played in 10 games, before suffering an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament and medial meniscus in his right knee during practice on December 3 and was placed on injured reserve on December 9. He was replaced with rookie Erik Bickerstaff. Cason finished the season with career-highs in carries (40), rushing yards (220) per carry average (5.5), rushing touchdowns (2), kickoff returns (5) and kickoff return yards (81). He also had 17 receptions for 142 yards. He was released on August 31, 2004.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 1, 2004, he was claimed off waivers by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

. He was released on September 5.

St. Louis Rams (second stint)

In December 2004, he was signed by the

to provide depth while

Marshall Faulk Marshall William Faulk (born February 26, 1973) is an American former professional American football, football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons and is the current running backs coach at the Colorado ...

and

Steven Jackson Steven Rashad Jackson (born July 22, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the St. Louis Rams. He played college football for the Or ...

were limited with bruised knees. He played mostly as a kick returner, making 14 returns for a 22.1-yard average. In

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, Cason rushed for 65 yards and one touchdown. He was not re-signed after the season.

Detroit Lions (second stint)

On November 9, 2006, he was signed as a free agent by the

. Due to an injury to Kevin Jones, he started his first game in a Week 16 loss against the

and rushed for 31 yards on five carries. He was declared inactive in 2 games. On March 7, 2007, he was signed to a one-year contract. He was released on September 1. He was re-signed on September 12. Cason was on the active roster as their kick returner on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

, in place of Eddie Drummond, who had left for the

. He was released on September 25. He was re-signed on October 4. He was cut on October 21. He was re-signed on October 24. On March 5, 2008, he was signed to a one-year contract. He was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

with an ankle injury on August 30. He returned later in the season to appear in 7 games and was mainly used to return kickoffs. On March 9, 2009, he re-signed with the Lions. He was released on September 4.

Florida Tuskers

In September 2010, he signed with the

of the United Football League. He was a backup

, tallying 37 carries for 94 yards and one

Personal life

In 2015, his Trinity Christian School – Cedar Hill (

Cedar Hill, Texas Cedar Hill is a city in Dallas and Ellis counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located approximately southwest of downtown Dallas and is situated along the eastern shore of Joe Pool Lake and Cedar Hill State Park. Per the 2020 United St ...

) team won the

Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, or TAPPS, is an organization headquartered in the Lone Star Tower at Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth, Texas. It was formerly headquartered at the Salado Civic Center in Sa ...

Division II state title with a 12–1 record. Cason resigned as the team's coach in 2018. In 2020, Cason and Don Majkowski filed a lawsuit against the NFL and the

NFLPA The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) is the labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. and president J ...

over cuts made to their disability payments. It was dismissed in May 2021 by U.S. District Court Judge

Trevor N. McFadden Trevor Neil McFadden (born 1978) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Previously, he was a deputy assistant attorney general in the Criminal Divisio ...

."Retired NFLers’ Suit Dismissed as CBA Revote Ruled Out"
''

Sportico Penske Media Corporation (PMC ) is an American mass media, publishing, and information services company based in Los Angeles and New York City. It publishes more than 20 digital and print brands, including ''Variety (magazine), Variety'', ''Rol ...

'' (May 11, 2021) Retrieved July 28, 2021 (

Paywall A paywall is a method of restricting access to content (media), content, with a purchase or a subscription business model, paid subscription, especially news. Beginning in the mid-2010s, newspapers started implementing paywalls on their website ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cason, Aveion 1979 births Living people American football running backs Dallas Cowboys players Detroit Lions players Florida Tuskers players Illinois State Redbirds football players Kansas City Chiefs players St. Louis Rams players High school football coaches in Texas Players of American football from St. Petersburg, Florida