Jerald Sherrod Martin (born October 12, 1984) is a former

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 ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

. He was drafted by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

in the second round of the

2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...

. He played college football at

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Çan ...

. Martin has also played for the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

and

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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

Early years

Martin was born in 1984 in Griffin, Georgia as one of three children to parents Diane and John. He has a brother named Cory and a sister named Chrystal. At age 9, Martin began playing football and continued through middle and high school. While at Griffin High, Martin played three seasons as a free safety and wide receiver under head coach Steve Devoursney. Griffin was elected team captain in his senior high school year. Griffin Daily News named him All-Purpose Player of the Year in 2002. In that same year, Martin caught seven passes for 177 yards and led the team and the region in punt returns. In Martin's senior year, the Kudzu Magazine named him to the All-Area team. Martin also played four seasons of basketball and competed two seasons in track and field.

College career

Enrolling at Troy University in 2004, Martin played strong safety while assigned as a reservist and member of special teams. He played 12 games during his initial season and was promoted to a starter. He was redshirted in 2006 after undergoing surgery on both his shoulders. By 2007, Martin was assigned to free safety. While attending Troy, Martin majored in

Business Management Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of manageme ...

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

Martin was drafted in the second round by the

. In his first career start against

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

, Martin recorded two interceptions.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On December 30, 2013, the

signed Martin to a reserve/future contract. He was released on August 30, 2014. He was re-signed on September 23. He became a free agent after the 2014 season.

Chicago Bears

On June 18, 2015, Martin signed a one-year contract with the

. On September 6, 2015, he was released by the Bears. He was re-signed on October 6.

Personal life

Martin cut hair in his neighborhood growing up and for teammates in college. During his time with the Jaguars, Sherrod Martin trained to become a barber, preparing for a career after the NFL. Martin now currently works as a master barber in the Atlanta area with current and former NFL players.

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bioTroy Trojans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Sherrod 1984 births Living people People from Griffin, Georgia Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) American football cornerbacks American football safeties Troy Trojans football players Carolina Panthers players Jacksonville Jaguars players Chicago Bears players