Cameron Ross Cleeland (born August 15, 1975) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

who last played 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 ...

of the NFL. He was drafted in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. Previously he had played for 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 ...

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 ...

and went to the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. While a rookie with the Saints, he was struck in the eye by linebacker Andre Royal with a sock filled with coins during a hazing incident. Cleeland nearly lost his eye in addition to suffering a broken eye socket and broken nose. The injury permanently affected his eyesight.

References

1975 births Living people American football tight ends New England Patriots players New Orleans Saints players People from Sedro-Woolley, Washington Sportspeople from Skagit County, Washington Players of American football from Washington (state) St. Louis Rams players Washington Huskies football players 20th-century American sportsmen {{tightend-1970s-stub