Jermichael Finley
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Jermichael Decorean Finley (born March 26, 1987) 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
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 ...
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
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 the third round of the
2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...
. With the Packers, he won
Super Bowl XLV Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
win over 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 ...
, not participating due to injury. 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
Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...
.


High school

Finley attended
Diboll High School Diboll High School is a public high school located in Diboll, Texas, USA and classified as a 3A school by the UIL. It is part of the Diboll Independent School District located in central Angelina County. During 20232024, Diboll High School ...
in Diboll,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
where he not only started at tight end, but also played defensive end, wide receiver, safety, punter and kicker. As a high school senior he was named first-team 3A all-state by the Texas Sports Writer Association and second-team by the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
. He was also named first-team all-district as a junior. Finley also holds a number of records at Diboll including 36 receptions for 878 yards. He also holds the record for receiving touchdowns with 13. In addition to football, he also played on the
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
team, where he was a district most valuable player, and ran track, where he was a member of the Diboll
4 × 200 metres relay The 4 × 200 metres relay is an athletics track event in which teams comprise four runners who each complete 200 metres or half a lap on a standard 400 metre track. The event is a world record eligible event, but is not a standard event at most pr ...
(1:34.59), and a
triple jumper The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...
(39 ft 10 in). Coming out of high school, Finley was ranked as a four star prospect by Rivals.com. He stood at six feet four inches tall and weighed 210 pounds. He ran a forty-yard dash in 4.6 seconds. Finley received scholarships from Texas, Arizona, Houston, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.


College career

Finley chose to play at Texas and received a redshirt during his freshman year in 2005. As a redshirt freshman, he played in all 13 games and started four of them when the Longhorns came out in two tight-end sets. He caught passes in 10 games and broke the school freshman tight end record for receptions at 31 and had 371 yards and three touchdowns. At the end of the year, Finley was named an honorable mention Freshman All-American team. Continuing on into his sophomore season, Finley started all 13 games at tight end. On October 6, 2007, Finley broke the school record for receiving yards by a tight end in a 28-21 loss against Oklahoma when he caught four passes for a career-high 149 yards. He finished the season with 45 receptions for 575 yards and two touchdowns. His performance earned honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference honors from the league's coaches and media. On January 8, 2008, Finley announced he would forgo his junior and senior seasons of eligibility to enter the NFL by declaring himself eligible for the
2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...
. Longhorn head coach
Mack Brown William Mack Brown (born August 27, 1951) is an American former college football coach. Brown most recently coached at the University of North Carolina, where he had two stints, first from 1988 until 1997, and again from 2019 until his firing ...
said "Finley finished his career ranked among the most productive receiving tight ends in school history and handled himself well both on and off the field during his time at Texas."


Professional career


Green Bay Packers

Finley was selected by 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 the third round of the
2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...
. He battled
Tory Humphrey Tory Terrell Humphrey (born January 20, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Central Michigan Chippewas. Humphrey was signed by th ...
in training camp to be the Packers' No. 2 tight end. Finley eventually won the battle with incumbent veteran, Donald Lee, for the starting
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 ...
position. Finley had a breakout season in 2009, totaling his first 100-yard game in an October 5 matchup against the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
while finishing the latter half of the season leading the team in targets. On January 10, 2010, Finley posted a franchise record in the Packers' playoff bout with 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 ...
, catching six passes for 159 yards (broken by
Davante Adams Davante Lavell Adams (born December 24, 1992) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played two seasons of college football for the Fresno State Bu ...
in 2019). After posting two 100-yard games in the first three games of 2010, Finley suffered a season-ending knee injury against the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
. He was placed on injured reserve by the Packers on October 18. Finley started the 2011 season off strong, catching three touchdowns in a Week 3 divisional match up 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 ...
. Despite key drops late in the season, Finley still finished 3rd amongst tight ends in receiving touchdowns and 12th in terms of yards. After the 2011 season, Finley became a free agent. On February 22, 2012, 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 ...
re-signed Finley to a 2-year $14 million contract. Finley was set to make a little over $5 million in 2012, and around $8 million in 2013. In week 7 of the 2013 season against the Browns, Finley suffered a bruised spinal cord after making a reception and colliding helmet to helmet with Cleveland Browns' safety
Tashaun Gipson Tashaun James Gipson Sr. (born August 7, 1990) is an American professional football safety. He played college football at Wyoming and signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Gipson has also played for the Jacksonvill ...
. He was immediately paralyzed and had minimal feeling in his legs and was taken to the ICU of a Green Bay hospital. Finley began regaining the ability to move his extremities the following day and was later diagnosed with a spinal cord contusion after the Green Bay Packers had examinations from specialists. After his
spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. It is a destructive neurological and pathological state that causes major motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions. Symptoms of ...
sustained in 2013, Finley became a free agent.


Free agency

Finley initially received interest from the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers, but no contract resulted. Finley cited a failed physical with the Seahawks as a reason for not receiving another contract. In October 2014, Finley filed a claim on his $10 million insurance policy. Despite working out five hours a day in Minneapolis and Wisconsin in hopes of an NFL comeback, Finley conceded that offers from the Steelers were not enough. "Pittsburgh have showed me a couple deals, but we all know the money ain't what it's supposed to be", Finley said in July 2014. "If I quit the game right now, I can take tax-free money, and that's a difficult thing that I'm going through with myself..." On October 19, 2015, Finley announced his retirement from playing football, thanking the Packers' organization.


Regular season statistics


Playoff statistics


Personal life

Finley has five sons with his wife Courtney who all live in
Aledo, Texas Aledo ( ) is a city in Parker County, Texas, Parker County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,858 in 2020. The city is served by the Aledo Independent School District. History The Parker post office was established in 1880 by Littlebe ...
. He is also the
half brother A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the other person. A male sibling is a brother, and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised ...
of former
Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
running back Jorvorskie Lane. According to a November 2007 report, the two still continue to have a relationship with their father. They also played with each other growing up, and also were on the same AAU basketball team during their teen years. He is also a cousin to
Rex Hadnot Jonathan Rex Hadnot Jr. (born January 28, 1982) is a former American football guard. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at Houston. Hadnot also played for the Cleveland Brow ...
, a former
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...
and sixth-round draft pick of 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 ...
in 2004. In a 2017 article for
the Players' Tribune ''The Players' Tribune'' is a new media platform that produces daily sports conversation and publishes first-person stories from professional athletes. The platform was founded by former professional Major League Baseball player Derek Jeter in ...
, Finley detailed the effects of sustaining multiple head and neck injuries in his football career and the recovery process from them. In 2024, he received his
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
from the University of Texas at Austin, 16 years after initially leaving college.


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finley, Jermichael 1987 births Living people Players of American football from Lufkin, Texas American football tight ends Texas Longhorns football players Green Bay Packers players People from Aledo, Texas