DeAndre Levy
refer to caption
Levy in 2017
No. 54
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1987-03-26) March 26, 1987 (age 36)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school:Milwaukee (WI) Vincent
College:Wisconsin
NFL draft:2009 / Round: 3 / Pick: 76
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:638
Sacks:3.5
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:5
Interceptions:12
Defensive touchdowns:2
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

DeAndre Levy (born March 26, 1987) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Wisconsin, and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Early years

Levy was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he attended Vincent High School and was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. As a senior, he recorded 84 tackles, five sacks, and four forced fumbles as a linebacker and 12 receptions for 260 yards and three touchdowns as a tight end.

College career

Levy played college football at Wisconsin from 2005 to 2008. He finished his career with 211 tackles, 21 sacks, two interceptions, six forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and a blocked kick.

In November 2006, Levy inadvertently collided with nearly 80-year-old Penn State coach Joe Paterno on the sideline during a game, fracturing Paterno's shin bone and damaging knee ligaments.[1][2] Subsequent to the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, Levy now calls that incident "my proudest moment in college".[3] In response, 21 former Penn State football players signed a letter condemning his comments.[4]

Levy was named second-team All-Big Ten in 2007. In 2008, he earned honorable mention All-Big Ten, and was also awarded the team's Tom Wiesner Award, given to a senior football player who most exemplifies the leadership and courage. In addition to twice winning the Big 10 Player of the Week, in 2008, he was also awarded the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week on September 13 for his performance against Fresno St.[5]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+3⁄4 in
(1.87 m) 		236 lb
(107 kg) 		31+7⁄8 in
(0.81 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)		 19 reps
All values from NFL Combine[6][7]

Levy was drafted by the Lions in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft.[8][9] As a rookie, Levy started 10 of 16 games for the Detroit Lions, recording 85 tackles and an interception.

In 2010, Levy was limited to only 11 games, missing Detroit's Week 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 games. For the season, Levy recorded 72 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 4 pass-breakups. In Week 14, against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers, Levy had 8 tackles and an interception of Packers QB Matt Flynn in the endzone in a 7-3 Lions win. In Week 16, against the Miami Dolphins, Levy returned an interception of Chad Henne 30 yards for the game-winning touchdown in a 34-27 win.

In his third season in 2011, Levy started all 16 games for the Lions, recording 109 tackles, a sack, an interception, and a forced fumble. In 2012, Levy started 13 games for the Lions, recording 82 tackles, and 1 interception. In 2013, Levy started all 16 games for the Lions, recording 119 tackles, and 6 interceptions. In 2014, Levy started all 16 games for the Lions, recording 151 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 1 interception.[citation needed]

On August 5, 2015, it was announced that Levy and the Detroit Lions agreed on a four-year extension.[10] Levy only played 1 game in the 2015 season due to injury.

In 2016, Levy's playing time was limited due to a torn meniscus he suffered at the beginning of the 2016 season.[11] On March 9, 2017, with two years left on his contract, he was released by the Lions. He filed an injury grievance against the Lions in August.[12][13]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2009 DET 16 10 85 61 24 0.0 7 1 5 0 5 5 1 2 0 0
2010 DET 11 11 72 50 22 0.0 1 2 41 1 30 4 0 2 0 0
2011 DET 16 16 109 73 36 1.0 9 1 7 0 7 1 1 0 0 0
2012 DET 14 13 82 57 25 0.0 9 1 -1 0 0 3 0 1 0 0
2013 DET 16 16 118 85 33 0.0 8 6 76 1 66 15 0 0 0 0
2014 DET 16 16 151 117 34 2.5 16 1 13 0 13 4 0 0 0 0
2015 DET 1 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016 DET 5 3 21 16 5 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
95 86 638 459 179 3.5 50 12 141 2 66 33 2 5 0 0

Playoffs

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2011 DET 1 1 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2014 DET 1 1 4 3 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016 DET 1 1 3 2 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 3 9 7 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life

Levy continues to reside in the Detroit metro area with his wife Desiré, whom he met in college and married in 2017. The couple has a one-year old daughter. Levy's father-in-law is NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Troy Vincent and his brother-in-law, Taron Vincent, plays football at the Ohio State University.

Since retiring, and while still a player, he has been an advocate for victims of sexual assault. In April 2016, DeAndre wrote a column for The Players' Tribune encouraging men and especially professional athletes to take leadership in sexual assault prevention.[2][14] Not only did players respond in support of his article, but victims also reached out and shared their stories.[15]

The couple commissioned a mural in Eastern Market in 2017 to encourage survivors of sexual assault and harassment to open up about their stories. They have also led fundraising efforts for related causes and organizations, such as Enough SAID (Sexual Assault in Detroit).[16][17]

In 2020, Levy appeared as a guest on Jada Pinkett Smith's Red Table Talk, along with Amber Rose and Rumer Willis to discuss sexual consent.

Levy also spoke out about the NFL's stance on the link between professional football and brain injuries in 2016, taking the NFL to task via a letter and various Instagram posts. He called for greater transparency about the risks of playing professional football, though he made it clear that he still wanted others to enjoy playing.[18]

References

  1. ^ Fittipaldo, Ray (November 5, 2006). "Paterno leaves field after taking hit". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Michael Rothstein (November 17, 2016). "'Proudest college moment' for DeAndre Levy: Joe Paterno's broken leg". espn.com. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  3. ^ Rubin, Mike. "DeAndre Levy: The Most Interesting Man in the NFL". Men's Journal.
  4. ^ "Penn State alums condemn DeAndre Levy's comments about Joe Paterno".
  5. ^ "Detroit Lions: DeAndre Levy". Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  6. ^ "DeAndre Levy Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  7. ^ "DeAndre Levy, Wisconsin, OLB, 2009 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  8. ^ "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  9. ^ "Detroit Nabs Wisconsin's DeAndre Levy". Archived from the original on October 8, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  10. ^ "DeAndre Levy agrees to contract extension with Detroit Lions".
  11. ^ "DeAndre Levy continues to miss games".
  12. ^ "Lions release LB DeAndre Levy". DetroitLions.com. March 9, 2017. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  13. ^ "DeAndre Levy Files Injury Grievance Against Detroit Lions". Bleacher Report.
  14. ^ Levy, DeAndre. "Man Up". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  15. ^ "It's about 'responsibility:' DeAndre Levy's path from silence to social activism". November 10, 2016.
  16. ^ "Ex-Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy tackles sexual assault with public art".
  17. ^ "Murals in the Market will move beyond just murals at 2018 festival".
  18. ^ "DeAndre Levy not 'demonizing football,' but wants players to know risks". March 23, 2016.

External links

Detroit Lions 2009 NFL Draft selections
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