Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Joe McKnight
is an exception to general  requirements, not a replacement of them.  There may well be professional athletes that would not meet general notability requirements, see Keith Cash and Kerry Cash but they get in despite no references or reliable sources other than them having played in the NFL.  Conversely, there are athletes who do not meet  but do get in under general notability standards.  See Brian Orakpo and Colt McCoy as examples of athletes who have not played at the professional level but have garnered enough notability at the college level to be included
— User:2008Olympian, 12:18, 14 December 2008 (UTC)
Stance: keep
Cited policy: WP:N||WP:ATHLETE (Wikipedia:Notability)