1 » In addition to Pittsburgh Steelers running back Chris Rainey (who is expected to be released from his contract) and Buffalo Bills wide receiver David Nelson (a restricted free agent), six other former Florida Gators currently under contract with NFL teams will be unrestricted free agents the day after the Super Bowl. Those players include Atlanta Falcons linebacker Mike Peterson, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Louis Murphy, Kansas City Chiefs LB Brandon Siler, Oakland Raiders guard Cooper Carlisle, Pittsburgh tackle Max Starks and Washington Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman.

On rosters for Super Bowl XLVII are San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald and Baltimore Ravens WR Deonte Thompson. The end result and Super Bowl 47 Betting may very well come down to which quarterback stands out and makes as few mistakes as possible.

2 » Speaking of Rainey, the former Gators running back had his recent simple battery charge reduced to disorderly conduct by Alachua County Judge Walter Green after the State Attorney’s Office decided it did not have enough evidence to pursue the more serious offense. The judge withheld adjudication and fined Rainey $200 to go along with court costs of $300 for the offense, effectively ending the legal issue, according to Florida Today. The alleged victim in the case denied that Rainey hit her the day after his arrest and contradicting statements from witnesses made the state’s case inconclusive. The Steelers announced the day of Rainey’s arrest that they had decided to waive him; however, NFL transactions made during the postseason cannot be completed until after the Super Bowl. With the charges being significantly reduced, Pittsburgh could theoretically have a change of heart or consider bringing Rainey back on a cheaper free agent contract.

Check out four more BITS of Gators news…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: NFL, Rainey, Beal, Rosario, track

Tags: Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Bradley Beal, Brandon Siler, Buffalo Bills, Carlos Dunlap, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Chris Rainey, Cooper Carlisle, David Nelson, Deonte Thompson, Draft, field, Kansas City Chiefs, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Rosario, Minnesota Vikings, NBA, NFL, Oakland Raiders, Percy Harvin, Pittsburgh Steelers, Ponce Lions, Ray McDonald, Rex Grossman, Runner of the Week, San Francisco 49ers, SEC, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLVII, track, Washington Redskins, Washington Wizards

The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived 2012 draft selection and former Florida Gators running back Chris Rainey.

Selected by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Rainey performed well in his rookie season with the Steelers but was released by the franchise on Thursday after being arrested for a domestic violence incident.

“Chris Rainey’s actions this morning were extremely disappointing,” team general manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement. “Under the circumstances and due to this conduct, Chris will no longer be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

Rainey played in all 16 games for Pittsburgh in 2012, carrying the ball 26 times for 102 yards with five touchdowns as a running back. He also grabbed 14 receptions for 60 yards, returned 39 kickoffs for 1,035 yards (long: 68) and returned three punts for 16 yards. He had a stellar preseason for the team with two long offensive touchdowns and a pair of punt returns for touchdowns as well.

The team reportedly used Rainey’s previous transgression as a motivator during practice throughout his rookie season. Head coach Mike Tomlin supposedly used a version of his unfortunate “time to die” text message as part of that motivation. “OK, 22, time to die!” he apparently yelled during the first full-contact practice of his career. “I hear it every day, about five times a day,” Rainey said at the time. “It’s all good. I made a bad mistake in the past but I’ve moved on. It’s funny now.”

Rainey signed a four-year, $2.282 million contract with the Steelers and received a $181,000 signing bonus along with a $390,000 salary in 2012. He was set to earn $480,000 in 2013, $570,000 in 2014 and $660,000 in 2015.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he had another brush with the law just last month as he was “cited for defiant trespass, a summary offense, when he entered the Meadowlands Racetrack and Casino outside Washington, PA., after he had signed himself onto a self-exclusion list.” A self-exclusion list, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, exists as a safeguard that a person can request as a measure to ban oneself from such facilities under penalty of a fine.

Rainey was one of four former Gators on the team. The three former Florida players remaining on Pittsburgh’s roster include center Maurkice Pouncey, left tackle Max Starks and right tackle Marcus Gilbert.

OGGOA RELATED: Former Florida RB Rainey arrested for battery

Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Steelers

Tags: Chris Rainey, Draft, Marcus Gilbert, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers

At the conclusion of the 2012 NFL regular season there were 31 former Florida Gators football players spread over 23 teams.

A total of 27 players participated in week 17 action, many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performance.

For the third-straight year, OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what all of these Gators accomplished during the last week of the 2012 regular season.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DE CARLOS DUNLAP, Cincinnati Bengals: Two tackles (one solo for loss), sack, two QB hits, pass defense, interception (14-yard return) for touchdown [Video]^

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NFL played this week…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Week 17 (2012)

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Andre Caldwell, Brandon Siler, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chris Rainey, Cooper Carlisle, Deonte Thompson, Janoris Jenkins, Jaye Howard, Jeremy Mincey, Jermaine Cunningham, Joe Haden, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Maurice Hurt, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Rex Grossman, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow, Will Hill

Now 16 weeks into the 2012 NFL regular season, there are 31 former Florida Gators football players spread over 23 teams.

A total of 21 players participated in week 16 action, many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performance.

For the third-straight year, OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what all of these Gators accomplished during the 16th week of the 2012 regular season.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
S REGGIE NELSON, Cincinnati Bengals: Three solo tackles, interception [Video], two pass defenses^
CB JANORIS JENKINS*, St. Louis Rams: Six solo tackles, interception returned for touchdown (41 yards) [Video], pass defense^

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NFL played this week…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Week 16 (2012)

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Brandon Siler, Carlos Dunlap, Chris Rainey, Cooper Carlisle, Janoris Jenkins, Jeremy Mincey, Joe Haden, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Maurice Hurt, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow, Will Hill

Now 15 weeks into the 2012 NFL regular season, there are 31 former Florida Gators football players spread over 23 teams.

A total of 23 players participated in week 15 action, many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performance.

For the third-straight year, OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what all of these Gators accomplished during the 15th week of the 2012 regular season.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
TE AARON HERNANDEZ, New England Patriots: 10 receptions [team-high] for 92 yards (targets: 19 [team-high], long: 20), touchdown [Video]; solo tackle^

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NFL played this week…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Week 15 (2012)

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Brandon Siler, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chris Rainey, Cooper Carlisle, Janoris Jenkins, Jeremy Mincey, Joe Haden, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Rex Grossman, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow, Will Hill

Now 14 weeks into the 2012 NFL regular season, there are 31 former Florida Gators football players spread over 23 teams.

A total of 23 players participated in week 14 action, many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performance.

For the third-straight year, OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what all of these Gators accomplished during the 14th week of the 2012 regular season.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
S REGGIE NELSON, Cincinnati Bengals: Five tackles (three solo, one for loss), sack, QB hit, pass defense, interception^

TE AARON HERNANDEZ, New England Patriots: Eight receptions [team-high] for 58 yards (targets: 11 – team-high, long: 13), two touchdowns, fumble recovery^

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NFL played this week…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Week 14 (2012)

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Andre Caldwell, Brandon Siler, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chris Rainey, Cooper Carlisle, Janoris Jenkins, Jeremy Mincey, Joe Haden, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Maurice Hurt, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow, Will Hill

Now 13 weeks into the 2012 NFL regular season, there are 31 former Florida Gators football players spread over 23 teams.

A total of 22 players participated in week 13 action, many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performance.

For the third-straight year, OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what all of these Gators accomplished during the 13th week of the 2012 regular season.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
DE CARLOS DUNLAP, Cincinnati Bengals: Five tackles (four solo, two for loss), two sacks, pass defense, fumble recovery [Video]
S REGGIE NELSON, Cincinnati Bengals: Six tackles (five solo, one for loss), pass defense, interception [game-ending - Video]

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NFL played this week…
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Week 13 (2012)

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Andre Caldwell, Brandon Siler, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chris Rainey, Cooper Carlisle, Janoris Jenkins, Jeremy Mincey, Joe Haden, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Riley Cooper, Will Hill

Now 12 weeks into the 2012 NFL regular season, there are 31 former Florida Gators football players spread over 23 teams.

A total of 21 players participated in week 12 action, many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performance.

For the third-straight year, OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what all of these Gators accomplished during the 12th week of the 2012 regular season.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CB JANORIS JENKINS*, St. Louis Rams: Two solo tackles, two pass defenses, two interception returns for touchdowns (36-yard return, 39-yard return) [Video]^

Check out how the rest of the Florida Gators in the NFL played this week…

Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Week 12 (2012)

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Brandon Siler, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Chris Rainey, Cooper Carlisle, Gator Chomp, Janoris Jenkins, Jeremy Mincey, Jermaine Cunningham, Joe Haden, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Riley Cooper, Will Hill