Michael A. Cox Jr. (born November 14, 1988) 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 ...

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 ...

of 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 ...

as an undergraduate for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

, and as a graduate student for the

Massachusetts Minutemen The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst; strictly speaking, the ''Minutemen'' nickname applies to men's teams and athletes only — women's teams and athletes are known as ...

. He was selected by the Giants in the seventh round of the

2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

Early life

A native of the Dorchester neighborhood of

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Cox attended high school at

Avon Old Farms Avon Old Farms School is a boarding school for boys located in Avon, Connecticut, United States. Theodate Pope Riddle, one of America's first female architects, founded the school in 1927. History The school's conception dates to a few year ...

prep school in

Avon, Connecticut Avon ( ) is a town in the Farmington Valley region of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, United States. As of 2020, the town had a population of 19,795. History At the end of the last Ice Age, 12,400 years BP of the Younger Dryas, nom ...

, graduating in 2008. In three seasons at Avon Old Farms, Cox rushed for 2,400 yards, including a junior season in which he rushed for 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns. Ranked by most publications as a four-star prospect, Cox signed a national letter of intent with the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. Along with

Khaseem Greene Khaseem Greene (born February 4, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was selected by the Chicago Bea ...

, who later played for 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 ...

, Cox was part of Avon Old Farms' first-ever New England track championship team.

College career

After redshirting for the 2008 season, Cox saw limited action on the Wolverines roster from 2009 to 2011. Cox played in 15 games over three years, rushing for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Cox' best single game for the Wolverines was during his redshirt freshman season, against

Delaware State Delaware State University (DSU or Del State) is a privately governed, state-assisted historically black land-grant research university in Dover, Delaware. DSU also has two satellite campuses: one in Wilmington and one in Georgetown. The un ...

when he rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Cox graduated from Michigan in the spring of 2012. With one year of eligibility remaining, Cox transferred to the

UMass Minutemen The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst; strictly speaking, the ''Minutemen'' nickname applies to men's teams and athletes only — women's teams and athletes are known as ...

. Since Cox had already obtained his undergraduate degree, he was not required to sit out a season under

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

transfer guidelines. Cox served as the feature back for the Minutemen. He started all 12 games, and despite running behind an inexperienced offensive line, Cox rushed for 715 yards and five touchdowns, leading the team in both categories. Against

Miami of Ohio Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest university in Ohio and the tenth-oldest public university in the United States ...

, Cox recorded the best game of his career with 188 yards rushing on 30 carries and two touchdowns. Cox also registered 81 yards against his former team, Michigan.

Professional career

Cox was selected by the

with the 253rd pick, in the seventh round of the

. Cox made his first professional start on ''

Monday Night Football ''Monday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''MNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that air on Monday nights. It originally ran on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1970 NFL season, 1970 t ...

'' on October 21, 2013. He was waived on April 27, 2015.

Personal life

In November 2013, a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' report revealed events that not only the Giants organization was unaware of about Cox, but that Cox himself had not fully become aware of until he was 13 years old. The report detailed how Cox's father, Michael A. Cox Sr., then a Boston police officer, had been the victim of a mistaken but vicious beating by fellow police officers in 1995. The incident was initially "swept under the rug", but a lawsuit ultimately led to BPD settling with Cox Sr. for $900,000 in damages and attorneys' fees. Cox Sr. became the force's 44th commissioner on August 15, 2022. In May 2025, Cox married veteran and fitness model Taylor Spadaccino. Cox's mother, Kimberly, is an

anesthesiologist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative medicine, perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critica ...

, and he is the eldest of her and Cox Sr.'s three children. Michael's younger brother Nicholas Cox is a former football player at the Division I-AA

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...

and briefly tried out for the Baltimore Ravens after going undrafted in 2014.

Medical malpractice lawsuit

In 2016, Cox sued Dr. Dean Lorich and the

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (abbreviated as NYP) is a nonprofit academic medical center in New York City. It is the primary teaching hospital for Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The hospit ...

Hospital for Special Surgery Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is an academic medical center and research institution headquartered in New York City that specializes in the treatment of orthopedic and rheumatologic conditions. Its main campus is located at 535 East 70th S ...

over unspecified damages due to a failed ankle surgery in 2014. Cox attributed this failed surgery to ending his NFL career. Dr. Lorich, who died by suicide in December 2017, was the hospital's chief of orthopedic trauma service at the time the surgery took place. On September 23, 2022, Cox was awarded $15.5 million for future pain and suffering, $12 million in lost earnings, and $1 million in past pain and suffering, for a total of $28.5 million. Jordan Merson, the attorney representing Cox's attorney, said the jury stated that Cox "received inadequate medical care and treatment and was significantly injured as a result".

References

External links

NFL Draft bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Michael 1988 births Living people Players of American football from Boston American football running backs UMass Minutemen football players New York Giants players Michigan Wolverines football players Avon Old Farms alumni