Today in Philly Sports History: Jerome McDougle Gets Shot, 2005

I think it's safe to assume that when the Eagles drafted defensive end Jerome McDougle out of Miami with the 15th pick in 2003--even trading up 15 spots just for the privilege--they might've expected that he'd contribute more than 28 career tackles and a mere three career sacks during his tenure with the Birds. To call McDougle a draft bust would be accurate but somewhat unfair, however, considering the amount of injuries, on the field and off, that he would suffer in his first few years. Ankle injuries, knee sprains, even an irregular heartbeat that he was diagnosed with in 2004 all ended up limiting his productivity, as McDougle had trouble even staying on the field. Then most unfortunately, on July 28th, 2005, McDougle was shot in the abdomen during a robbery in Miami, four days before he was to leave for training camp.

McDougle was taken to the hospital and received emergency surgery, where it was determined that the bullet missed all his major organs. Remarkably, he was expected to rebound in time to be a contributor to the 2005 season, but further complications arose from the surgery, and McDougle would not don the green and white again until the '06 season. "You've just got to be careful where you go and what you [are]
seen wearing and everything like that." tut-tutted former teammate Jeremy Shockey, proffering that McDougle was robbed as a result of his ostentatious display of jewelry.

McDougle had his most productive season in '06, actually playing in 14 of the team's games, but his contributions were again minimal, and he in fact cost the team a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when two late-game penalties he accrued got the Bucs just close enough to field goal range for them to kick for the game-winning three. After remaining injured once more through the '07 season, he was eventually cut by the Eagles in the '08 pre-season. He played four games last year for the New York Giants, leaving everyone generally unimpressed.