Michael Clayton ( American football ) Michael Rashard Clayton ( born October 13 , 1982 ) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent in the National Football League . He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 15th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft . He played college football at LSU . Early years . Clayton prepped at Christian Life Academy in Baton Rouge where he was one of the most sought after recruits in the nation his senior year . He played in the first ever U . S . Army All - American Bowl on December 30 , 2000 alongside fellow LSU teammates Ben Wilkerson , Andrew Whitworth , and Marcus Spears . Michael also played basketball there . In 2008 he became the first inductee in the Christian Life Academy Hall of Fame . College career . Clayton played college football at LSU where he was part of the NCAA champion LSU Tigers . During his three years with LSU , he caught 182 passes for 2 , 582 yards and 21 TDs for the Tigers , and ended his LSU career with the record for career TD receptions with 21 . The record was later broken by Dwayne Bowe in a game against Tennessee on November 4 , 2006 . He finished second in school history in receptions with 182 , just one shy of tying Wendell Davis ' s record of 183 . He is ranked fourth in career receiving yards with 2 , 582 and seventh in career 100 - yard games , and is the only player in LSU history to have at least 700 yards receiving in three straight seasons . Clayton is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity . Clayton was initiated into the Nu Psi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha in the Spring of 2003 . Professional career . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Clayton was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 15th selection of the 1st round of the 2004 NFL Draft . After a promising 2004 rookie campaign with Tampa Bay , where he led all NFL rookies and the Buccaneers with 80 receptions for 1193 yards , and his team with 7 touchdown s , Clayton had a relatively disappointing season in 2005 . With knee surgery in the offseason and a season riddled with small mistakes on the field , he finished up with just 32 receptions for a total of 372 yards and no touchdowns . He was forced to sit out the final game of the regular season against the New Orleans Saints with a turf toe injury , and also sat out the Buccaneers playoff match up against the Washington Redskins . His second season was very disappointing and inconsistent . The start to the 2006 season showed that Clayton had returned to his healthy past of 2004 . Clayton looked good with 3 receptions and 34 yards despite the Buccaneers offensive struggles on September 10 in a 27 - 0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens . Continuing his return to his 2004 form , he caught 6 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals on October 15 , 2006 . His touchdown , thrown by Bruce Gradkowski , came with seconds left and gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the go ahead lead for their first win of the 2006 season . Unfortunately , following an undisclosed injury , the Buccaneers placed him on injured reserve , ending his season with four games remaining . He followed that overall performance with a forgettable 2007 season , although he did come on strong down the stretch . He made the most of his opportunities at the end , when the Buccaneers were resting many of their starters ( which many analysts considered a mistake ) . He caught 22 passes during his 14 - game season , 16 of those came in the last four contests and 10 coming in the last two . He also amassed 192 of his 301 yards in those four games . Clayton got to play in his first post - season contest on January 6 , 2008 against the eventual Super Bowl - champion New York Giants . He caught 3 passes for 39 yards . After the 2008 season Clayton became a free agent , but re - signed with the Buccaneers to a new five - year deal . After signing the deal he made the famous " check is in the bank " quote . The Bucs released Clayton on September 4 , 2010 . United Football League . Clayton joined the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League on October 25 , 2010 . New York Giants . On November 23 , 2010 , Clayton signed a one - year contract with the New York Giants following injuries to Giants receivers Steve Smith , Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden . The move also reunited Clayton with Giants quarterback Eli Manning with whom he shared a dorm during the NFL combine in 2004 . On September 3 , 2011 Clayton was cut by the Giants On September 23 , the Giants re - signed Clayton after placing Domenik Hixon on injured reserve . He became a free agent after the season . Personal life . Clayton runs the Michael Clayton Generation Next Foundation , which is a non - profit organization aiding local charities around Tampa Bay and Baton Rouge ; mainly the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile and the Tampa Bay Pediatric Cancer Center . Clayton holds the annual Michael Clayton Celebrity Hoops Jam , a celebrity basketball game , to raise money for the foundation .