Demetress Bell

Last updated

Demetress Bell
No. 77
Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1984-05-03) May 3, 1984 (age 40)
Summerfield, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:311 lb (141 kg)
Career information
High school: Summerfield (LA)
College: Northwestern State (LA)
NFL draft: 2008  / Round: 7 / Pick: 219
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:40
Games started:35
Player stats at PFR

Demetress Carte Bell (born May 3, 1984), formerly known as Demetrius Bell, is a former American football offensive tackle. After playing college football for Northwestern State, he was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played for the Bills for four seasons and one season in Philadelphia. He is notable for making the NFL and playing for half a decade without ever having played a down of high school football, or having gone to college with the intention of playing football. He is the son of former basketball player Karl Malone.

Contents

Early life

Bell, who spelled his first name "Demetrius" until 2012 when he discovered it was actually spelled "Demetress", [1] was born in 1984 to 13-year-old Gloria Bell of Summerfield, Louisiana, and Karl Malone, then a 20-year-old college basketball player and future National Basketball Association (NBA) star, and a fellow native of Summerfield. [2] Malone and Demetress Bell had previously spoken on only one occasion [3] prior to repairing their relationship in 2014. [4]

As a young teenager, Bell played more softball than he did Malone's sport of basketball. [5] He did not play organized football at all during that time. [6] Eventually, during high school, he took up basketball and played well enough to receive a scholarship to Northwestern State University, where he played in 88 games over the course of the 2003–04, 2004–05, and 2006–07 seasons. [3] Bell was one of only four NCAA athletes to play both basketball and football in Division I in 2007. [7] After the 2006–07 season, he decided to give up basketball to concentrate on his development in football. [8]

College career

Bell's high school had not fielded a football team, so prior to his attending Northwestern State, he had never played organized football. In the fall of 2005, he red-shirted the basketball season and began playing for the school's football team. He was initially placed in the position of defensive end. The following year, injuries struck the team's offensive line, and he was moved to the left tackle position. He earned second-team All-Louisiana honors that season. [6]

Bell made a bigger name for himself in his senior season of 2007, having focused solely on football. Remaining on the offensive line, he was named an All-Louisiana and an All-Southland Conference first-teamer. [6]

Bell graduated from Northwestern State in 2008.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

Bell was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. [9] The Bills were encouraged by his raw skills, but saw him as a longer-term project, given his inexperience in having played organized football for only three seasons at that point. [10] [11] However, the team chose to place him on their active roster, rather than assigning him to their practice squad, where he could potentially have been signed away by another team. [12] [13] Consistent with their view of him as a work in progress, Bell was not activated for play in any of the Bills' regular season games in 2008. [14]

In 2009, citing the quality of Bell's performance in the Bills' off-season and pre-season training camps that year, then-Bills head coach Dick Jauron installed Bell as the team's starting left tackle for the 2009 regular season. [15] After earning mixed reviews over the first half of the campaign, including an extremely high number of penalties against him, Bell's year came to a disappointing conclusion when he suffered what would prove to be a season-ending knee injury in a Week 10 game against the Tennessee Titans.

Philadelphia Eagles

On April 4, 2012, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Bell to a contract that could be worth up to $34.5 million over five years. The first year of this contract was worth $3.25 million and while he played in nine games including five starts, he suffered a few injuries and the Eagles would have been obligated to pay him more than eight million dollars if he was included on the roster in 2013. [16] As such on February 6, 2013, Bell was released from his contract.

Dallas Cowboys

On July 21, 2013, Bell was signed by the Dallas Cowboys. [17] He was released by the Cowboys on August 31, 2013. [18]

Relationship with Karl Malone

Laboratory blood tests prepared for the Bell family's 1996 paternity lawsuit against Karl Malone reportedly pointed to an over 99 percent probability that Bell's father was either Malone or a twin brother of Malone. Malone initially refused to respond to the lawsuit, but eventually reached an out-of-court settlement with the Bell family over the issue. The Bells received a single lump sum payment of a confidential amount, with no on-going child support for Demetress. In speaking later about the settlement, Malone's attorney asserted that it had not included an official court determination of paternity, and noted that Malone "had a lot of brothers". [2]

Although Malone was 20 years old at the time that the then-12-year-old Gloria Bell was impregnated, she said that her family chose not to pursue criminal charges against Malone over the relationship. According to Bell, with Malone being a neighbor — Summerfield's population is only a few hundred — her family did not wish to see him jailed, especially since he would then be unable to provide any support for Demetress at all. [2]

In 2008, The Buffalo News published a story about Bell that included the claim that he did not know who his father was until after he graduated from high school. [3] However, in a 1998 article in The Salt Lake Tribune , when Bell was 14 years old, his mother spoke of his shying away from anything to do with Malone because his feelings were hurt by Malone's refusal to acknowledge him. [5]

According to Bell, he has spoken to Malone on one occasion, when Bell was 18 years old. Bell reported that Malone told him that he would have to make his way on his own, as it was too late for the two men to have a father-son relationship. [3]

Bell and Malone began to mend their relationship around 2014, and in 2018, Bell said that he and Malone talk and text "nearly every day" after going on a hunting trip together and had a close relationship. [4] Malone said about his relationship with his older children, "I didn't handle it right; I was wrong ... Father Time is the biggest thief that's out there, and you can't get that back." [4]

Bell has reported that he is very close to Daryl and Cheryl Ford, older twins of Malone that were also the subjects of a paternity suit. [19] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Shaw</span> American football player (born 1938)

William Lewis Shaw is an American former professional football player who played as a guard for the Buffalo Bills in the American Football League (AFL). After playing college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, he was drafted by the Bills. Shaw was the prototypical "pulling guard" who despite his size held his own against much bigger defensive linemen like Ernie Ladd, Earl Faison and Buck Buchanan. He won three straight Eastern Division titles and two American Football League championships in 1964 and 1965 with Buffalo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Malone</span> American basketball player (born 1963)

Karl Anthony Malone is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spent his first 18 seasons (1985–2003) in the NBA with the Utah Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate John Stockton. He was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a 14-time NBA All-Star, and an 11-time member of the All-NBA first team. His 36,928 career points scored rank third all-time in NBA history behind LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and he holds the records for most free throws made and attempted, and most regular season games started, in addition to being tied for the second-most first-team All-NBA selections with Kobe Bryant and behind LeBron James.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takeo Spikes</span> American football player (born 1976)

Takeo Gerard Spikes is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Auburn Tigers. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 13th overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft. A two-time Pro Bowl selection and one-time All-Pro, Spikes also played for the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and San Diego Chargers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Beebe</span> American football player and coach (born 1964)

Donald Lee Beebe is an American former football wide receiver and coach who is the head football coach at Aurora University. He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. In addition to his six seasons with the Bills, who selected him in the third round of the 1989 NFL Draft, he was a member of the Carolina Panthers during their inaugural season and played for the Green Bay Packers in his last two seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Jones (American football)</span> American football player (born 1981)

Julius Andre Maurice Jones is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Jones was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He also played in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints.

The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League (NFL). Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18. Both teams originally had that weekend off. This marked the first time since the 1966 NFL season and the AFL seasons of 1966 and 1967 that there were byes in week 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 NFL season</span> 1987 National Football League season

The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). This season featured games predominantly played by replacement players, as the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) players were on strike from weeks four to six with week three being cancelled in its entirety. This remains the last NFL season in which regular-season games were impacted by a labor conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Peters</span> American football player (born 1982)

Jason Raynard Peters is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Arkansas and signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2004, originally as a tight end. He was later traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 and spent the next twelve seasons playing for them before joining the Chicago Bears in 2021, the Dallas Cowboys in 2022, and the Seattle Seahawks in 2023. He is currently the oldest active NFL player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Tucker</span> American football player and sports broadcaster (born 1979)

Ross Finch Tucker is a former American football offensive lineman and current sports broadcaster. Tucker was an All-Ivy League offensive lineman at Princeton University then played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Tucker retired as a player after suffering a neck injury during the 2007 season. He works for CBS Sports, the Philadelphia Eagles, Westwood One, Audacy, and hosts the Ross Tucker Football Podcast on the DraftKings Network.

Mark Richard Vlasic is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). During this time, he played for the San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Over the course of his career, he played in 15 games, completed 75 of 142 passes for 762 yards, threw four touchdowns and five interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 63.2.

Patrick Jay Toomay is a former professional football player, a defensive end for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Vanderbilt University and was selected in the sixth round of the 1970 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He is the author of books about professional football, including The Crunch and the 1984 novel On Any Given Sunday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Chandler (American football)</span> American football player (born 1985)

William Scott Chandler is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Iowa and was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He was also a member of the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corey Graham</span> American football player (born 1985)

Corey Dewayne Graham is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at New Hampshire Wildcats and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL draft. He also played for the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, and Philadelphia Eagles. Graham was a one-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Super Bowl champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern State Demons and Lady Demons</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Northwestern State University

The Northwestern State University athletic teams go by the Demons, with women's athletic teams generally called the Lady Demons, and its mascot is Vic the Demon. Once a member of the SIAA conference, the school now competes in the Southland Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jarius Wynn</span> American football player (born 1986)

Jarius Jessereel Wynn is an American former professional American football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft and won a Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Georgia.

The Northwestern State Demons football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Northwestern State University located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and is a member of the Southland Conference. Northwestern State's first football team was fielded in 1907. The team plays its home games at the 15,971 seat Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Henery</span> American football player (born 1987)

Alex Henery is a former American football kicker. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and set an NCAA record for field goal accuracy with an 89.5% success rate. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andre Holmes</span> American football player (born 1988)

Andre Holmes is a former American football wide receiver. Originally signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2011, Holmes also played for the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and Denver Broncos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedric Thornton</span> American football player (born 1988)

Cedric Thornton is a former American football defensive tackle. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Southern Arkansas University. He now coaches elementary and secondary basketball and football teams in the DFW area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connor McGovern (American football, born 1997)</span> American football player (born 1997)

Connor James McGovern is an American football guard for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State.

References

  1. ↑ McPherson, Chris (April 4, 2012). "Eagles Fortify Tackle Spot With Bell". philadelphiaeagles.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Fantin, Linda. (July 19, 1998). "Spirit vs. Letter of Law in Malone Paternity Suits", The Salt Lake Tribune
  3. 1 2 3 4 Wilson, Allen. (April 29, 2008). "Dad Karl Malone a footnote in Demetrius Bell’s life", The Buffalo News
  4. 1 2 3 Woodyard, Eric (December 3, 2018). "Family first: Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone is content with life after basketball". Deseret News . Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Fantin, Linda. (July 19, 1998). "Three Children Who Grew Up in the Shadow of Karl Malone", The Salt Lake Tribune
  6. 1 2 3 Ireland, Doug. (September 8, 2009). "Demons' Demetrius Bell will start for Buffalo Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine ", nsudemons.com (Official website of the Northwestern State University Athletics Department)
  7. ↑ Crowe, Jerry. (May 2, 2008). "Robinson's new plaque will have his place in history", Los Angeles Times
  8. ↑ "(2008, April 27). Northwestern State's Demetrius Bell Taken In Seventh Round Of NFL Draft By Buffalo Bills", southland.org (Official website of the Southland Conference)
  9. ↑ "2008 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  10. ↑ Associated Press. (August 28, 2008). "Bills rookie OT Bell has chance to start vs. Lions [ permanent dead link ]"
  11. ↑ Wilson, Allen. (September 8, 2009). "Bell shining on Bills' O-line", The Buffalo News
  12. ↑ Gaughan, Mark. (August 31, 2008). "Bills keep Corto – Spragan, James, Wright released", The Buffalo News
  13. ↑ Associated Press. (August 30, 2008). "Veteran CB James among notable cuts by Bills"
  14. ↑ Wilson, Allen. (January 14, 2009). "McKelvin’s wait with Bills was worth it", The Buffalo News
  15. ↑ Gaughan, Mark. (September 10, 2009). "Bell won't get ahead of himself", The Buffalo News
  16. ↑ cite web|url= "Eagles release Demetress Bell, according to report - SBNation.com". February 6, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Dallas Cowboys officially announce signings of three players, including veteran OT Demetress Bell | Dallas Cowboys Blog". Archived from the original on July 23, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Demetress Bell". kffl.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  19. ↑ Hill, Jemele. (May 12, 2008). "Karl Malone falls short, as a father", ESPN.com Page 2
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.