Andre Rison

Infobox NFLretired


|caption=
position=Wide Receiver
number=87, 80, 81, 84, 89,
birthdate=birth date and age|1967|3|18
Flint, Michigan
debutyear=1989
finalyear=2000
draftyear=1989
draftround=1
draftpick=22
college=Michigan State
teams=
* Indianapolis Colts (1989)
* Atlanta Falcons (1990–1994)
* Cleveland Browns (1995)
* Jacksonville Jaguars (1996)
* Green Bay Packers (1996)
* Kansas City Chiefs (1997–1999)
* Oakland Raiders (2000)
stat1label=Receptions
stat1value=743
stat2label=Receiving Yards
stat2value=10,205
stat3label=Touchdowns
stat3value=84
nfl=RIS519110
highlights=
* 5x Pro Bowl selection (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997)
* 4x All-Pro selection (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993)
HOF=
CollegeHOF=

Andre Previn Rison (born March 18 1967 in Flint, Michigan) is a retired American football wide receiver who played professionally for the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts. Rison was selected to the Pro Bowl five times, from 1990–1993 and once again in 1997.

Rison won a Super Bowl championship with the Green Bay Packers in 1996, scoring the first points of the game on a 54-yard touchdown catch. He also won a Grey Cup championship with the Toronto Argonauts in 2004. He is one of the few players to win professional football championships in both the United States of America and Canada. He was released by the Argonauts during the 2005 CFL season. He holds an NFL record for scoring a touchdown with 7 different teams.

He was a star player at Flint Northwestern High School and in college at Michigan State University.

Early career

Rison began his NFL career in 1989 as a first round draft pick with the Indianapolis Colts, catching 52 passes for 820 yards with 4 touchdown receptions and showing great promise. However, he was traded to the Falcons as part of the infamous Jeff George block-buster deal. His next season marked the first of five very productive campaigns with the Atlanta Falcons. During these years, Rison finished near the top of most receiving categories, and led all NFL players with 15 receiving touchdowns in 1993.

After the 1994 season, Rison signed a lucrative free agent contract with Cleveland, where he was expected to bring his flashy playing style and become the featured receiving threat for the Browns, who had made the playoffs the year before. But Rison's one year stay with the Browns (the team he grew up rooting for) was a tremendous disappointment, full of frustration. [http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19951217BROWNS.html] The receiver, who had been named an All-Pro in four of his previous six seasons, had career lows in receptions (47), yards (701), touchdowns (3), receptions per game (2.9), and yards per game (43.8). Rison also developed a feud with the Cleveland fans, who were angered over the announcement that the team would be relocating to Baltimore and tired of his incredibly disappointing play. After an especially disappointing home loss to the Packers, Rison, who had been booed by the fans throughout the game, lashed out, stating, "We didn't make the f***ing move. So, for all the booers, f*** you too. I'll be glad when we get to Baltimore, if that's the case. We don't have any home-field advantage. I've never been booed at home. Baltimore's our home. Baltimore, here we come." [http://www.cleveland.com/brownshistory/plaindealer/index.ssf?/browns/more/history/19951119BROWNS.html]

Later career

Rison never really recovered after that, although he did win a Super Bowl ring with the Packers and had a solid year with KC before finally retiring several years later. His final NFL season, with the Raiders in 2000, saw Rison catch 41 passes for 606 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Rison finished his NFL career with 743 receptions for 10,205 yards and 84 touchdowns, along with 8 kickoff returns for 150 yards and 9 carries for 23 yards.

"Bad Moon" Rison

He is also remembered for his life off the football field, which garnered him the nickname "Bad Moon" Rison from ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman, alluding to the song "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. In 1994, Rison's Atlanta mansion was burned down by his then-girlfriend, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of the R&B group TLC, resulting in the loss of all his possessions.

He has also been arrested several times for failing to pay child support to Raycoa Handley, the mother of his two sons. This ultimately led to Rison getting sentenced to jail by an Atlanta court on December 8, 2004 for neglecting to pay the $127,000 in child support Handley claimed he owed her. On January 3, 2005, Rison was released from DeKalb County Jail after making a $10,000 payment. [http://www.metronews.ca/sports_news_fullstory.asp?id=5477]

While playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, Rison tried to popularize the nickname "Spider-Man," reflecting his touchdown celebrations where he posed like the superhero flinging spider webs...but the nickname never really stuck. Rison told the Chiefs GM that his new nickname was chosen because he wanted to be known for positive achievements instead of the negative ones that "Bad Moon" reminded people of. Rison was also sometimes mocked as "Smokey", "Fireman", and "Flamer" in reference to the infamous Lopes arson incident, as well as Brock Middlebrook, after his attempt to deceive police after he threw a man through a window at the Bo's and Mine, a local River Falls establishment near the site of the Chiefs training camp.

Rison is also a featured Pro on the second season of the physical reality game show "Pros vs. Joes" on Spike TV.

While on an episode of the Spike TV's "TNA Impact!", a professional wrestling program, Rison was in the ring with announcer Don West talking about his role on the show "Pros vs. Joes". They were then interrupted by TNA wrestler Abyss. While Rison tried to extend his hand to Abyss for a handshake, Rison received Abyss' finishing maneuver, the Black Hole Slam (kayfabe). Rison had to be helped from the ring during the commercial break. Andre is now traveling in the FBU or FootBall-University training camp. He is also working with old teammate Lorenzo White. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYn0c_X2FKY]

Financial troubles

On June 12, 2007, Andre Rison faced a court-ordered bankruptcy to pay more than $105,000 (all figures U.S.) in back child support and other claims. Terese Dear, a courtroom deputy for U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Flint, said Tuesday that an order was entered June 6 to put Rison into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Rison, a Flint native, has until June 25 to respond to the order before the court proceeds with efforts to recover his assets, Dear said. "The Flint Journal" reported on the court action Monday. He owes child support, attorney fees and court administrative costs, according to a bankruptcy court petition. Rison's ex-wife, Tonja Rison of Southfield, is listed as one of the creditors on that petition. Her claim is for more than $58,000 in child support. An Atlanta law office is claiming another $46,000 in unpaid legal fees for seeking child support from Rison for two children by a girlfriend. The Genesee County friend of the court also is after $400 in administrative fees. Rison's attorney, David Kallman of Lansing, had no comment on the bankruptcy order.

External links

* [http://andrerison.com Official website]
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/stats?playerId=54 Andre Rison's stats on ESPN's page]
* [http://profootballreference.com/players/RisoAn00.htm Andre Rison's career stats]
* [http://espn.go.com/nfl/news/2000/0817/689913.html ESPN.com Story]