Ross Robert Verba (born October 31, 1973) 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 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). A 6'4", 305-lb.

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 ...

from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

, Verba was a first-team All-Big Ten player in 1996. 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 1st round (30th overall) of the 1997 NFL draft. Verba was the first rookie to ever start a Super Bowl at

left tackle A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and Defensive tackle, defense. In the modern system of ...

, when the Packers faced the Denver Broncos in

Super Bowl XXXII Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion and defending Super Bowl XXXI champion Green Bay Packers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide t ...

. He played four seasons for the Packers from 1997 to 2000, and three with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

from 2001 to 2004. In June 2005, having failed to obtain an upgraded contract, Verba rebated his offseason bonus in order to obtain his release from the Browns. After one season out of the league, Verba signed with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

for a final NFL season in 2006. He was released by the Lions on February 28, 2007, after spending eight games inactive with various injuries and being placed on injured reserve. Verba was arrested on January 4, 2007, in Wisconsin on a felony warrant for writing bad checks in Nevada and released one day later. According to the

Wisconsin State Patrol The Wisconsin State Patrol is the state patrol for the state of Wisconsin and is a division of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The Wisconsin State Patrol enforces traffic and criminal laws, oversees the motor carrier safety and weight ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

authorities lifted the warrant after Verba resolved a misunderstanding regarding an outstanding debt of $50,000 at the

Wynn Las Vegas Wynn Las Vegas, often simply referred to as Wynn, is a luxury resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned and operated by Wynn Resorts, and was built on the former site of the Desert Inn re ...

casino. Subsequently, Verba was arrested in 2009 on another Nevada warrant for failing to pay a $26,000 gambling debt at the Palms Resort and Casino.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verba, Ross 1973 births Living people American football offensive guards Green Bay Packers players Cleveland Browns players Detroit Lions players Iowa Hawkeyes football players Players of American football from Des Moines, Iowa