John Jerry (born June 14, 1986) 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

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 ...

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

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford, Mississippi, Oxford. The first was the Ole ...

and was selected by 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 the third round of the

2010 NFL draft The 2010 NFL draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 NFL draft, draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first ...

. He also played for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

Early life

Jerry attended South Panola High School in

Batesville, Mississippi Batesville is a city in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,523 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 7,463 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Batesville is one of two county seats which th ...

, where he was a two-way lineman and his career totals included 205 tackles, with 13

quarterback sacks In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the ...

. As a senior, he made 88 tackles, including five quarterback sacks, and returned one pass interception for a touchdown. He helped lead South Panola High School and coach Ricky Woods to a 44-1 record, including state championships in 2003 and 2004, while being runners-up in 2002. Considered a three-star recruit by '' Rivals.com'', Jerry was listed as the No. 27 offensive tackle prospect in the nation.

College career

After a prep school year at

Hargrave Military Academy Hargrave Military Academy (HMA) is a private school, private, all-male, Military school, military boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia. Hargrave is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Chr ...

, Jerry started all 12 contests at right guard for the Ole Miss Rebels in 2006. He was honored by several postseason publications as one of the top freshman linemen in the country, including ''

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

'' and ''Rivals.com''. In 2007, he played in all 12 games and started nine at the right guard position. Jerry was moved to right tackle and started all 13 games at the position in 2008, and earned second-team All-SEC honors from the SEC Coaches and Phil Steele. In 2009, Jerry was listed at No. 5 on '' Rivals.coms'' preseason offensive tackle power ranking. He was also named to the 2009

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best 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 g ...

watch list.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Jerry was considered one of the better offensive linemen available in the

. He drew comparisons to Leonard Davis.

Miami Dolphins

On draft day, Jerry was selected by the

in the third round with the 73rd overall pick. In February 2014, the NFL released the "Wells Report" finding that Jerry, along with Dolphins teammates Richie Incognito and

Mike Pouncey James Michael Pouncey (born July 24, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, was a member of a BCS National Champions ...

, had bullied and harassed lineman Jonathan Martin, another unnamed player, and an assistant trainer during the 2012-13 seasons. The harassment of the assistant trainer, in which Jerry took part, included racial insults.

New York Giants

On March 21, 2014, Jerry was signed by the

. On March 13, 2015, Jerry re-signed with the Giants. On March 13, 2017, Jerry signed a three-year, $10 million contract extension with the Giants. He started all 16 games for the Giants at right guard in 2017. On September 2, 2018, Jerry was released by the Giants.

Cincinnati Bengals

On June 10, 2019, Jerry signed with the

. He was released during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, but was re-signed two days later.

Personal life

John Jerry is the younger brother of

Peria Jerry Peria Edward Jerry (; born August 23, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. He ...

, a former defensive tackle for 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 ...

. His cousins Eddie Strong and Dwayne Rudd also played in the NFL.

References

External links

Ole Miss Rebels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jerry, John 1986 births Living people Sportspeople from Batesville, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards Ole Miss Rebels football players Miami Dolphins players New York Giants players Cincinnati Bengals players Hargrave Military Academy alumni