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

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

center for the

Seattle Sea Dragons The Seattle Sea Dragons (formerly known as the Seattle Dragons) are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. The team is a franchise of the new XFL and plays its home games at Lumen Field in Seattle. Originally founde ...

of the XFL. He played college football at

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High ...

and was selected by the Cardinals 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 from April 29 to May 1, 2021 ...

Early life and background

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 2010 census, it had a population of 5,163. 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.

High school career

Menet played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...

at Exeter Township Senior High School in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Phila ...

. In 2015, Menet blocked a punt in a game against Governor Mifflin Senior High School 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 a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide ...

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 college football 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

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, an ...

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. 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 club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...

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

after being waived by the Packers, winning him an invitation to the Atlanta Falcons minicamp in May 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 Green Bay Packers players Penn State Nittany Lions football players People from Birdsboro, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania Seattle Sea Dragons players Sportspeople from Berks County, Pennsylvania