Randall Gay

Last updated

Randall Gay
Randall Gay in 2011.jpg
Gay practices with the Saints in 2011.
No. 21, 20
Position: Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1982-05-05) May 5, 1982 (age 41)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school: Brusly (Brusly, Louisiana)
College: LSU
Undrafted: 2004
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:180
Sacks:2.0
Interception:6
Player stats at NFL.com

Randall Jerome Gay, Jr. (born May 5, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2004.

Contents

Gay also played for the New Orleans Saints. He played on a Super Bowl winning team with both the Patriots and the Saints, and is also noted for being one of the two Louisianan-born (other being former LSU and Saints teammate, Devery Henderson) having won a championship at both the college and pro level for teams of Louisiana, his home state.

Early years

At Brusly High School in Brusly, Louisiana, Randall Gay was a four-year letterman in football. He also lettered in weight lifting (three years) and track (one year). He was a first-team All-Metro selection, and a first-team All-District selection in football during his last two years of high school. As a senior, in only eight games, he rushed for 1,067 yards and 13 touchdowns, caught three touchdown passes, and returned two punts for touchdowns.

College career

He played college football at Louisiana State University. He won a BCS National Championship with the Tigers in 2003 as a nickel back.

Professional career

New England Patriots

On April 29, 2004, he was signed by the Patriots shortly after the NFL draft as an undrafted free agent. His rookie year, Gay beat out cornerback Christian Morton, the Patriots' 7th-round draft pick, for a place on the roster. Later in the season, Gay was placed into the starting lineup because of injuries to veterans Ty Law and Tyrone Poole. Gay's rookie season concluded with a victory in Super Bowl XXXIX, in which he started opposite Asante Samuel where he was the leading tackler with 11 solo tackles. Gay was involved in several low level controversies as a Patriot: He failed to make a full contribution in 2005 and 2006, due to injuries that landed him on injured reserve. This led to some long running criticisms from the tough vocal New England fans and repeated questions about him on the region's talk shows and in the papers. Hence, after failing to deliver up to expectations of New England Patriots fans in both the 2005 and 2006 seasons, before the 2007 training camp, Gay was quoted as saying: [1]

You know how it is, It's like, 'Oh man, you're still getting a paycheck?' and 'Two years in a row!?!' That's the kind of stuff you really don't want to hear, because in your heart you want to be back out there. I can say this, I'm the most anxious person for training camp. I'm about the only one here that's ready for it to come.

Gay returned in 2007 and played primarily as a nickel back and a backup safety. He did start several games, including the AFC Divisional Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gay intercepted a career-high three passes while playing in every game of the 2007 season en route to a perfect regular season that ended with the Patriots' defeat at the hands of the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

New Orleans Saints

On March 2, 2008, Gay signed a four-year, $17.8 million contract with the New Orleans Saints. The deal included a $3.75 million signing bonus and $6.9 million in guaranteed money. [2] He was a member of the Saints' 2009 Super Bowl XLIV Championship team. Gay suffered a concussion early in the 2010 season that eventually led to him being placed on injured reserve on October 20, 2010. [3]

Gay was released by New Orleans on July 28, 2011, and retired thereafter. [4] In 2012, he was a named plaintiff in one of the lawsuits filed by former players against the NFL regarding the league's history of players suffering concussions. [5]

NFL career statistics

Legend
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2004 NWE 159342950.01223013602411
2005 NWE 52121020.00000010000
2006 NWE 302200.00000000000
2007 NWE 163373250.01352031711151
2008 NOR 1413534941.030000150000
2009 NOR 147373251.0212502550000
2010 NOR 405320.00000000000
7134180157232.0761000313413562

Playoffs

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2004 NWE 337520.00000000000
2007 NWE 318710.00000021000
2009 NOR 31171700.00000002000
95322930.00000023000

Personal life

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References

  1. ↑ Tomase, John (April 4, 2007). "Gay keeps his head up". Boston Herald . Archived from the original on April 8, 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Roundup: Ex-Pats CB Gay reportedly agrees to contract with Saints". ESPN. March 2, 2008. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
  3. ↑ James Varney, "New Orleans Saints place CB Randall Gay on injured reserve for 2010", Times-Picayune , October 20, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Gay shifts attention to retired life". HoumaToday.com. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Ex-Saints CB Randall Gay sues NFL", Associated Press at WWL-TV, July 19, 2012.
  6. ↑ "NFL objected to selling jerseys to 'Gay' fans". sfgate.com. March 4, 2005.
  7. ↑ Michael O'Keeffe, "'Gay' now OK with NFL but league allows little else on jerseys", New York Daily News , March 4, 2005.
  8. ↑ "New Orleans Saints: Randall Gay". neworleanssaints.com.
  9. ↑ Mark Ballard, "Former LSU, Saints player Randall Gay among the graduates from Southern Law Center", The Advocate , May 10, 2015.
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