Isaiah D'Vaughn Pead (born December 14, 1989) 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

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 ...

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 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

Cincinnati Bearcats The Cincinnati Bearcats are the college sports, athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. The teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision as members of the Big 12 Conference. The Bearcats were pr ...

. Pead 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 second round of the

2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

. He was also a member of the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

and

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 ...

Early life

Pead attended Eastmoor in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, where he was a letterman in football and track. In

, he was a four-year letterwinner at

and

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. He rushed for 1,696 yards (10.7 yards per carry) and 24 touchdowns, and also caught 10 passes for 250 yards, including two scores on his way to being named Ohio's Division IV Player of the Year in 2006. He earned the Ohio Division III Player of the Year award after rushing for 2,204 yards (11.5 yards per carry) and scored 39 touchdowns as a senior. He concluded his prep career with 4,443 rushing yards and 63

touchdowns 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 ...

. He is Eastmoor Academy's all-time rushing leader, surpassing two-time Heisman Trophy Winner

Archie Griffin Archie Mason Griffin (born August 21, 1954) is an American former football running back who played with the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, wh ...

. In

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

, Pead was one of the state's top performers in the sprinting events. He was the 2007 Ohio Division II State 400-meter dash champion, with a PR of 48.16 seconds. He took gold in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

at the 2008 Eastmoor Academy Invitational, recording a personal-best time of 10.89 seconds. He also ran the

200 meters The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

in 22.05 seconds.

College career

Pead attended the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

from 2008 to 2011. He finished his career with 3,288 rushing yards on 545 carries with 27

. As a senior in 2011, Pead was the MVP of the 2012 Senior Bowl.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pead was considered one of the top running back prospects for the

St. Louis Rams

Pead was drafted in the second round, 50th overall by the

. On May 31, 2013, the NFL announced that Pead would be suspended for the season opener for violating the substance abuse policy. During the Rams' second preseason game 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 ...

in 2014, Pead tore his ACL on a kickoff return. He was placed on IR a few days later.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pead was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 2, 2015, after

Le'Veon Bell Le'Veon Andrew Bell Sr. ( ; born February 18, 1992) is an American Professional boxing, professional boxer and former American football, football running back. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans football, Michigan State ...

was placed on season-ending injured reserve with an MCL tear. On November 27, 2015, Pead was released by the Steelers.

Miami Dolphins

On March 31, 2016, Pead signed with the

. On October 11, 2016, he was released by the Dolphins.

Statistics

''Source
NFL.com
'

Car crash and personal life

On November 12, 2016, at approximately 2:30 AM, Pead was involved in a serious car crash, in which he was not wearing a seatbelt. According to the Columbus Division of Police, at about 2:32am, Saturday, Pead was driving his 2011 Cadillac CTS eastbound on I-670 near E. 5th Avenue, when he lost control of the vehicle, and drove off the right side of the roadway. The Cadillac struck the metal guardrail and continued through it. After going through the guardrail the Cadillac became airborne and struck several trees on the way down the embankment. It came to rest about 95 feet from the roadway. Police said two witnesses stopped and called 911 and provided assistance to Pead and a passenger in the Cadillac, Wesley Richardson, 27, until police arrived at the crash scene. Pead was taken to Grant Medical Center and had emergency surgery. Pead's injuries were career-ending.

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

football coach,

Tommy Tuberville Thomas Hawley Tuberville (; born September 18, 1954) is an American politician and retired college football coach who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from Alabama, a seat he has held since 2021. Before ...

, said Pead lost his left leg in the accident. Pead reportedly started a trucking company and has one son.

References

External links

*
Cincinnati Bearcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pead, Isaiah 1989 births Living people American football running backs American amputees Sportspeople with limb difference Cincinnati Bearcats football players Miami Dolphins players Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Columbus, Ohio St. Louis Rams players