Martellus Bennett

Football tight end Martellus Bennett enjoyed stints with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Chicago Bears, but his sporting prowess was often overshadowed by his colorful behavior off the field. Born on a naval Air base in San Diego, CA, Bennett grew up with his single father and older brother, future Seattle Seahawks star Michael, in Houston, where he began playing both football and basketball in high school. He earned first-team Class 5A all-state honors from the Texas Sports Writers Association in the latter during his senior year and was selected for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in 2005. He continued to pursue both sports while attending Texas A&M University, but having made the shortlist for the John Mackey Award, equalled the school's record for most receptions by a tight end and finished his sophomore season with All-Big 12 Second Team honors, football eventually took precedence. Bennett decided to skip his senior season to declare himself for the 2008 NFL Draft where he was selected 61st overall in the second round by the Dallas Cowboys to add a new dimension to their two-tight-end offense. Although behind-the-scenes documentary "Hard Knocks" (HBO, 2001-) showed him initially struggling to adapt to NFL life his form gradually improved and he finished his rookie season with 20 receptions for 283 yards and four touchdowns. Injury and inconsistent form, not to mention a controversial rap video uploaded to YouTube which saw him pick up a $22,000 fine, blighted his next three years with the Cowboys, and in 2012 he transferred to the New York Giants. After just one season, Bennett moved again, this time to the Chicago Bears, where he surpassed Mike Ditka's record for the most receptions by a tight end in the side's history and was named to the 2015 Pro Bowl. But Bennett's relationship with the Bears soon deteriorated thanks to a bust-up with Kyle Fuller which resulted in a suspension, and several interviews in he which openly criticized his teammates and coaching staff. By this point, Bennett had also begun to showcase his other talents, releasing a free mixtape titled Year of the Orange Dinosaur in 2014 and directing an animated short about a filmmaking penguin, "Zoovie" (2015). In the 2016 NFL Draft Bennett and a sixth-round pick were traded for a fourth-round pick to the New England Patriots.