Je’Rod Cherry

Je’Rod L. Cherry was born on May 30, 1973, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California, where he excelled in both football and track. He continued his academic and athletic pursuits at the University of California, playing for the California Golden Bears football team from 1992 to 1995. During his junior and senior years, Cherry received All-Pac-10 honorable mention and Pac-10 All-Academic selections. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from UC Berkeley in 1996 and a Master of Arts in education from the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education in 2000.

Cherry was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 2nd round (40th overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played for the Saints from 1996 to 1999. In 2000, he briefly signed with the Oakland Raiders before joining the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2000 season. His career took a significant turn when he signed with the New England Patriots in 2001. As a special teams player and defensive back, Cherry played a key role in the Patriots winning three Super Bowl titles in XXXVI (2001), XXXVIII (2003), and XXXIX (2004). He recorded 50 special teams tackles from 2001-2004, including 12 in both the 2001 and 2002 regular seasons, and 13 in the 2003 and 2004 regular seasons. He retired from professional football in 2004, having played 127 career games.

Following his NFL career, Cherry moved to Macedonia, Ohio, and transitioned into media. In 2009, he became a talk show host and NFL analyst for WKNR AM 850 in Cleveland. When WKNR became a flagship station for the Cleveland Browns in 2013, he also took on the role of game-day pregame host for the Browns radio network. By 2022, Cherry joined the main game broadcast team as a sideline analyst and reporter. Beyond his media work, Cherry is involved in charitable activities; in 2008, he raffled off one of his Super Bowl rings, raising over $200,000 for charity.