Verron Ulric Haynes ( ; born February 17, 1979) is a

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

ian-born former

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

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 ...

. He was selected by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

in the fifth round of the

2002 NFL draft The 2002 NFL draft was the 67th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted ...

, following three successful college football seasons at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

. With the Steelers, he won

Super Bowl XL Super Bowl XL was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2005 Seattle Seahawks season, Seattle Seahawks and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Pittsburgh S ...

against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

. Haynes appeared on the cover of ''

Pittsburgh Magazine Pittsburgh Magazine is a lifestyle magazine covering the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. It hosts an annual "40 Under 40" featuring prominent young Pittsburghers. It's known for listicles including Pittsburgh's 25 Best Restaurants, Best of the 'Bur ...

''s 25 Most Beautiful People issue in January 2007. As of 2010, Haynes serves as an International commentator and television personality for ESPN International. Born in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

, before moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

at age seven and then to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, where he 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 ...

for

North Springs High School North Springs High School (formerly called North Springs Charter High School of Arts and Sciences from 2007 to 2022) is a public high school located in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States. It is the only magnet school in the Fulton County Sc ...

. His father Ulric "Buggy" Haynes was a soccer player in the

Trinidad and Tobago national team Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in th ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers

In five seasons with the Steelers from 2002 to 2006, Haynes gained 660 yards on 159 carries (4.2 average per carry) and three touchdowns. He also recorded 39 receptions for 322 yards (8.3 average per reception) and two touchdowns, including one from

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

Antwaan Randle El Antwaan Randle El (; born August 17, 1979) is an American professional American football, football coach and former player who currently serves as the wide receivers coach and assistant head coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football L ...

. Haynes missed most of the 2006 season due to a knee injury. On March 1, 2007, he was cut by the Steelers in order to save cap room. However, he re-signed with the team on June 4, 2007. On September 1, 2007, he was released again. He was re-signed on December 24 when starting running back

Willie Parker Willie Everett Parker Jr. (born November 11, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for six seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for No ...

was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

Atlanta Falcons

Haynes signed with 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 ...

on April 29, 2009.Falcons sign former UGA running back, release Bergeron
On December 5, 2009, he was released by the Falcons and re-signed on December 8, 2009.

Personal

Haynes’ son,

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

, is a running back at 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 ...

. Haynes serves on the board of directors of TurningPoint, a women's health care organization in Alpharetta, Georgia. He is involved in philanthropic efforts and the forming of The Red Sail Watersports company. In addition, Haynes runs The Verron Haynes Foundation and football clinics and camps and comments for ESPN International.

References

External links

Atlanta Falcons bio

Pittsburgh Steelers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haynes, Verron 1979 births Living people Players of American football from Atlanta American football fullbacks Georgia Bulldogs football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Atlanta Falcons players Trinidad and Tobago players of American football American sportspeople of Trinidad and Tobago descent