Michal James Menet (born August 8, 1997) is an American 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 ...

center. 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 ...

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

and was selected by 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 ...

in the seventh round of the

2021 NFL draft The 2021 NFL draft was the 86th National Football League draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland, Ohio from April 29 to May ...

Early life

Menet was born on August 8, 1997, at the Reading Hospital to Sherry Graffius, a dental hygienist, and Brian Menet, an integrated warehouse logistics manager. Menet predominantly grew up in

Birdsboro, Pennsylvania Birdsboro is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along the Schuylkill River southeast of Reading. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,106. Birdsboro's economy had historically been rooted in large ...

, with his father and step-mother, Pamela Shupp Menet, Berks County Economic Director who played a large role in the development process of M. Night Shyamalan’s ''Avatar'' at the Reading Pagoda. Menet played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

at Exeter Township Senior High School in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fourth-most populous ...

. In 2015, Menet blocked a punt in a game against

Governor Mifflin Senior High School Governor Mifflin Senior High School is the only high school in the Governor Mifflin School District. Named for the Revolutionary War major and first governor of Pennsylvania, Thomas Mifflin, it is located in Shillington, Berks County, Pennsyl ...

which led the Exeter Eagles to their first league championship in over a decade. Predominantly an offensive and defensive lineman throughout high school, Menet also played

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 ...

his senior year due to a quarterback’s injury. Menet was coached by Matt Bauer and Kerry Ciatto in high school. In his junior and senior years, Menet was coached by his older brother, Christian, who played

for the

Eastern Michigan Eagles The Eastern Michigan Eagles, formerly known as the Normalites and the Hurons, are the athletic teams for Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. The Eagles compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ...

College career

Menet was ranked as a fourstar recruit by 247Sports.com coming out of high school. He committed to

on May 29, 2015.

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals

Menet was drafted by the

in the seventh round (247th overall) of the

on May 1, 2021. Menet officially signed with the Cardinals on May 20, 2021, with the contract details initially being undisclosed. He was waived on August 30, 2021, and re-signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. He was released on September 7. He re-signed with their practice squad on September 29. Menet was released on October 5.

Green Bay Packers

On December 15, 2021, Menet was signed to 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 ...

practice squad. On January 25, 2022, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Packers. He was waived on August 30. On December 13, 2022, Menet was signed to the practice squad.

Seattle Sea Dragons

Menet moved on to the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL after being waived by the Packers, winning him an invitation to 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 ...

minicamp A mini-camp, also spelled minicamp, is a short camp held by National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) teams usually in spring of each year. The camp usually only lasts 3 days, but the length varies by a day or two depending ...

in May 2023. He was released from his contract on August 3, 2023.

Atlanta Falcons

On August 3, 2023, Menet was signed by the Falcons. He was waived on August 29, 2023.

Personal life

Menet has a younger brother, Joey Schlaffer, who committed to play football at Penn State in October 2021. Schlaffer helped lead Exeter to its first ever PIAA District III Championship in November 2021.

References

External links

Penn State Nittany Lions bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menet, Michal 1997 births Living people American football centers Arizona Cardinals players Atlanta Falcons players Green Bay Packers players Penn State Nittany Lions football players People from Birdsboro, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Berks County, Pennsylvania Seattle Sea Dragons players