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Quintez Cephus

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Quintez Cephus
refer to caption
Cephus with Wisconsin in 2017
No. 2 – Los Angeles Rams
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1998-04-01) April 1, 1998 (age 26)
Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school:Stratford Academy (Macon, Georgia)
College:Wisconsin (2016–2019)
NFL draft:2020 / round: 5 / pick: 166
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2024
Receptions:37
Receiving yards:568
Receiving touchdowns:4
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Quintez Cephus (born April 1, 1998) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. He played college football at Wisconsin and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Early life

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While playing high school football at Stratford Academy in Macon, Georgia, Cephus played running back, wide receiver and defense, earning a three-star recruiting grade.[1]

College career

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Cephus committed to Wisconsin on November 13, 2015.[2] He also received offers from Miami, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Georgia Southern.[3] Cephus had also committed to Furman for basketball but decided to pursue football as a "business decision".[2]

During his sophomore season, Cephus caught thirty passes and had his first career collegiate 100-yard receiving game, against Purdue.[1] However, a broken leg, sustained against Indiana on November 4, sidelined Cephus for the rest of the season and required surgery.[4]

After Cephus missed his junior season due to pending legal charges, the NCAA cleared him to play on August 23, 2019.[5] After being expelled and reinstated by the school, Cephus said he returned to the football team because unlike others at the school, the football team never stopped supporting him.[6] Cephus was noted for his ability to separate from defenders on the field of play during his senior season.[7]

On January 6, 2020, Cephus declared for the 2020 NFL draft. The move came after Cephus led the 2019 Badgers team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.[8] He also participated in the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, where he drew praise from other players at the Combine.[9]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+7⁄8 in
(1.85 m) 		202 lb
(92 kg) 		32+1⁄8 in
(0.82 m) 		8+3⁄4 in
(0.22 m)		 4.62 s 1.60 s 2.69 s 4.33 s 7.20 s 38.5 in
(0.98 m)		 10 ft 4 in
(3.15 m)		 23 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[10][11]

Detroit Lions

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Cephus was selected at in the fifth round with the 166th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions.[12] The Lions previously acquired the selection used on Cephus as a result of the trade that sent cornerback Darius Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles. On July 13, 2020, the Lions signed Cephus to a four-year contract.[13] In Week 13, against the Chicago Bears, he scored his first professional touchdown on a 49-yard reception from quarterback Matthew Stafford.[14]

On October 12, 2021, Cephus was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.[15]

On October 8, 2022, Cephus was once again placed on injured reserve.[16]

On April 21, 2023, Cephus was suspended indefinitely (at least one season) after it was discovered he had violated the league’s gambling policy by betting on NFL games. He was subsequently released by the Lions following the incident.[17][18]

On April 18, 2024, Cephus was reinstated by the NFL.[19]

Buffalo Bills

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On April 29, 2024, Cephus signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills, but was released on May 16.[20][21]

Houston Texans

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On July 18, 2024, Cephus signed with the Houston Texans.[22] He was released on August 27.[23]

Los Angeles Rams

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On September 18, 2024, Cephus was signed to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad.

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Tgt Yds Avg Lng TD FD Fum Lost
2020 DET 13 2 20 35 349 17.5 49 2 16 0 0
2021 DET 5 3 15 22 204 13.6 46 2 9 0 0
2022 DET 4 1 2 3 15 7.5 9 0 1 0 0
Total 22 6 37 60 568 15.4 49 4 26 0 0

Personal life

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In the early morning hours of April 22, 2018, Cephus engaged in sexual acts with two women. Cephus claimed the acts were consensual, but the women claimed that they were too drunk to give consent legally and that Cephus sexually assaulted them.[24] Later that day, the Dane County Sheriff's Department searched Cephus' apartment, and in August, Cephus was suspended from the Badgers football team.[25] Also in August, Cephus was formally charged with second- and third-degree counts of sexual assault of an intoxicated victim.[26]

On October 9, Cephus sued the University of Wisconsin-Madison in federal court, stating that the university's Title IX investigation, occurring simultaneously with the Dane County investigation, deprived Cephus of due process relating to the Fifth Amendment.[27] Also in October, Cephus entered a not guilty plea, with a trial set for February, although that was later delayed to August.[28] During spring of 2019, Cephus left the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[29] It was later revealed that he was expelled by the school.[30] In March 2019, Cephus dropped his lawsuit against the university.[24]

On August 2, Cephus was acquitted on both counts.[31][32] UW later re-admitted Cephus as a student before the 2019 fall semester, citing new information in their investigation.[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b Kirk, Otis (May 14, 2018). "PFF has Wisconsin wide receiver at top of one category". 247Sports. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Polack, Nick (November 13, 2015). "Wisconsin football recruiting: Quintez Cephus commits to Badgers". Bucky's 5th Quarter. SBNation. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  3. ^ "Quintez Cephus Interests". 247Sports. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  4. ^ Galloway, Jason (November 10, 2017). "Badgers football: Wisconsin's Quintez Cephus to miss rest of season after undergoing surgery on right leg". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  5. ^ "NCAA clears Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus to play". USA Today. August 23, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  6. ^ Potrykus, Jeff (August 19, 2019). "UW reinstates former wide receiver Quintez Cephus as a student". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Gannett. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  7. ^ Morley, Jacob (March 14, 2020). "Draftmas Week 6: Quintez Cephus, Jabari Zuniga". Packer Report. 247Sports. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  8. ^ Potrykus, Jeff (January 6, 2020). "UW wide receiver Quintez Cephus will skip his final season of eligibility and enter the NFL draft". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Gannett. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  9. ^ Kocorowski, Jake (February 28, 2020). "Quintez Cephus 2020 NFL Scouting Combine Results". AllBadgers. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  10. ^ "Quintez Cephus Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  11. ^ "2020 NFL Draft Scout Quintez Cephus College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  12. ^ Alter, Marlowe (April 25, 2020). "Detroit Lions take WR Quintez Cephus in NFL draft with pick from Darius Slay trade". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  13. ^ Schlitt, Erik (July 8, 2020). "Lions sign 5th-round WR Quintez Cephus". lionswire.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  14. ^ "Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears - December 6th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Birkett, Dave (July 8, 2020). "Quintez Cephus injury means more KhaDarel Hodge for anemic Detroit Lions passing game". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  16. ^ @Lions (October 8, 2022). "#Lions announce roster moves: Signed WR Maurice Alexander and CB AJ Parker to the Active Roster from the Practice Squad Elevated DB Saivion Smith and K Michael Badgley to the Active/Inactive List from the Practice Squad Placed WR Quintez Cephus on the Reserve/Injured List" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Layton, Jeremy (April 21, 2023). "Jameson Williams, four other NFL players suspended for gambling". New York Post. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  18. ^ Woodyard, Eric (April 21, 2023). "WR Williams, 3 other Lions suspended for betting". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  19. ^ "NFL Reinstates Ex-Lions WR Quintez Cephus, More After Indefinite Gambling Suspensions". April 18, 2024.
  20. ^ Glab, Maddy (April 29, 2024). "Bill sign WR Quintez Cephus to one-year deal". BuffaloBills.com.
  21. ^ Glab, Maddy (May 16, 2024). "Bills sign safety Dee Delaney". BuffaloBills.com.
  22. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (07-18-2024)". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  23. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (08-27-2024)". HoustonTexans.com. August 27, 2024.
  24. ^ a b c McCain, Michael (September 7, 2019). "After Re-Admitting Quintez Cephus, Wisconsin Could Face a Tough Legal Battle". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  25. ^ Goldberg, Rob (August 20, 2018). "Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus Suspended After Being Charged with Sexual Assault". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  26. ^ Trelevan, Ed (August 21, 2018). "Wisconsin receiver Quintez Cephus charged with sex assaults of two women". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  27. ^ Trelevan, Gary (October 10, 2018). "Quintez Cephus sues UW, says disciplinary investigation violating his rights". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  28. ^ "Trial for suspended Badgers football player facing sexual assault charges delayed". Channel 3000. February 11, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  29. ^ Galli, Tony (March 28, 2019). "Former Badger wide receiver Cephus leaves school". WKOW. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  30. ^ Potrykus, Jeff (August 19, 2019). "UW reinstates former wide receiver Quintez Cephus as a student". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Gannett. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  31. ^ Andrea, Lawrence (August 2, 2019). "Ex-Badgers player Quintez Cephus found not guilty of two counts of sexual assault". JSOnline.com. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  32. ^ Wells, Adam (August 2, 2019). "Ex-Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus Found Not Guilty of Alleged Sexual Assault". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
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