Shawne Merriman Shawne DeAndre Merriman ( born May 25 , 1984 ) , nicknamed " Lights Out " , is a former American football player who played in the National Football League ( NFL ) from 2005 to 2012 . He was among the top linebacker s in the National Football League ( NFL ) in his first three seasons with the San Diego Chargers , where he was a three - time Pro Bowl and All - Pro selection . Merriman was drafted 12th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft . He earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in his first season and recorded quarterback sack s in his first three seasons . He was hampered by injuries his next three seasons , and the Chargers waived Merriman midseason in 2010 . He was acquired through waivers by the Buffalo Bills that season , but he only played minimally with the Bills due to continued injuries . He was released by the Bills before the 2012 season before they re - signed him mid - season . In 2006 during his second NFL season , Merriman was suspended for four games after testing positive for steroids . He blamed the test results on a tainted dietary supplement , which he never identified . Early life . Merriman grew up in Upper Marlboro , Maryland . He earned his nickname " Lights Out " at Frederick Douglass High School , where he rendered four opposing players unconscious in the first half of one game . Professional career . San Diego Chargers . 2005 NFL Draft . Merriman was drafted in the 1st round ( 12th overall ) in the 2005 NFL Draft out of the University of Maryland by the San Diego Chargers . He was selected using a pick acquired from the New York Giants as part of the Rivers - Manning trade during the 2004 NFL Draft . The Giants traded Philip Rivers ( selected 4th overall in the 2004 Draft ) , and their 1st round selection for the following year ( amongst others ) for the rights to sign Eli Manning , who had been selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 1st overall pick that year . Manning had made it clear he was not interested in playing for the Chargers , in a similar fashion to John Elway in 1983 when selected by the Baltimore Colts . The Giants draft pick ended up being the 12th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft . The Chargers used that selection to take Merriman . On August 1 , after a long holdout period , Merriman signed a 5 - year , $ 11 . 5 million contract that included $ 9 million in guarantees and $ 4 million in incentives . 2005 season . Merriman started off his 2005 rookie year on the inactive list and completed a 10 day hold out from training camp . He did not break the starting lineup until week 7 , but recorded 6 sacks in his first 4 starts . He was voted into the Pro Bowl as an OLB after playing the position for the San Diego Chargers in their 3 - 4 defensive scheme which is the same position he played at the University of Maryland . Merriman ' s best game of the year came in week 15 when the Chargers handed the Indianapolis Colts their first loss of the season . Merriman recorded 2 sacks and 2 tackles for a loss , one of which stopped Peyton Manning for a 6 yard loss on 4th and goal . It was during this game that Shawne Merriman garnered much national media coverage and in the following week made the Pro Bowl . On January 4 , 2006 , Merriman was awarded with The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award . He received 28 votes of a panel of 50 NFL sportswriters and broadcasters . He beat Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu , who received 16 votes , Cincinnati linebacker Odell Thurman , with 4 , and Dallas linebacker DeMarcus Ware , with one . On February 12 , 2006 , Merriman participated in the 2006 NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu , Hawaii . Although in a losing effort , Merriman made 3 tackles and forced one fumble . " I enjoyed myself the whole entire week " , said Merriman . " I topped it off today by playing the entire game with all the guys I grew up watching . It ' s going to be my first of many if I just keep working hard . " 2006 season . On October 22 , 2006 , reports were made public by CNN that Merriman would face a 4 - game suspension for violating the NFL ' s steroid policy . ESPN ' s Chris Mortensen cited a source that claimed the suspension was " definitely for steroid use and not a ' supplement - type ' suspension . " Mortenson ' s report later came under scrutiny from Merriman ' s attorney , David Cornwell , who called the report " irresponsible and erroneous . " Under NFL league policy , no player ' s suspension proceedings are to be announced before the suspension takes place . Subsequently Cornwell stated that he believed the substance his client tested positive for was the anabolic steroid nandrolone , and that Merriman claimed it must have been in a tainted nutritional supplement he took regularly . Merriman never identified the supplement . The incident led to the passage of a rule that forbids a player who tests positive for steroids from being selected to the Pro Bowl or winning any performance awards in the year in which they tested positive . The rule is commonly referred as the " Merriman Rule " . However , NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has tried to distance the policy from being associated with the player , stating that Merriman tested clean on 19 of 20 random tests for performance - enhancing drugs since entering the league . At the start of his 2006 season after the 4 game suspension , Merriman again began his season with success , recording 3 sacks and an interception in his first 2 games . Merriman went on to record 8 . 5 sacks and make ESPN ' s midseason All - pro team , prior to dropping an appeal against an NFL enforced 4 week suspension due to testing positive for steroids . In the 2006 regular season , Merriman led the league in sacks with 17 while playing only 12 games . He also added 4 forced fumbles to his career ( 2 against both the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos ) . Merriman finished third in the balloting for 2006 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year , behind Jason Taylor and Champ Bailey , after having tested positive for using steroids which is against the league ' s drug abuse policy . Taylor commented that Merriman should not have been considered for the award because of his suspension . Merriman reportedly responded by sending Taylor a " Lights Out " t - shirt and a box of popcorn with a note saying enjoy watching him in the playoffs . Merriman , nicknamed " Lights Out " , performed a dance to celebrate each of his 17 sacks in 2006 – 2009 After the Chargers were eliminated in the playoffs by the New England Patriots that season , members of the Patriots began performing Merriman ' s " Lights Out " dance on the field in celebration . Merriman ' s Chargers teammate LaDainian Tomlinson , referred to the act as showing no class and being disrespectful . 2007 season . In 2007 , he announced that he would no longer perform this celebration . In week 4 , however , Merriman performed the dance after sacking Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Damon Huard . After the Charger ' s slow 1 - 3 start to the season , Merriman exclaimed that he decided to do the sack dance again due to the urge of his teammates and to help revive the spirits of the Charger fans . Merriman finished the season with 68 total tackles , with 54 solo and 14 assisted tackles , performing to his usual caliber by tallying 12 . 5 sacks . His prowess was shown during the season when it was said that his 9 . 5 sacks through to week 13 was seen as a decline in performance , a quote to which Merriman took a great compliment . The Chargers finished the season with a loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game . Merriman was named to the Pro Bowl for a third consecutive year . At that point had a total of 39 . 5 sacks in three seasons . His 39 . 5 sacks are the most for any player from 2005 to 2007 , edging out Jason Taylor by just one full sack . He had also been named First - Team All - Pro in his first 2 seasons , while earning a Second - Team All - Pro selection in his 3rd season . 2008 season . During the 2008 training camp , Merriman had difficulty with his injured knee and sat out of practice for over two weeks . Initial reports were that his recovery would take a few weeks , but on August 23 , Merriman reported that he had a tear in both his posterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament . He was told by doctors that he could sustain a possible career - threatening injury should he choose to play without having surgery . Merriman withheld his decision whether or not to play while seeking several different professional opinions , including that of well - known surgeon James Andrews of Birmingham , Alabama . ESPN ' s Mike Tirico in the Chargers ' Monday Night Football game that Merriman went to Miami , Florida to get a final opinion on his knee . On August 27 , Merriman told Fox Sports that he would go against the advice of the doctors and will try to play through the injury , stating that he simply wants to play and that the career - ending possibilities were " misquoted . " On September 9 , it was announced that Merriman would indeed go through with the reconstructive knee surgery to repair his torn knee ligaments and would be placed on the Injured Reserve , missing the rest of the 2008 NFL Season . 2009 season . In the 2009 season , Merriman was suffering from a painful foot injury as well as his troubled knees . He had only four sacks for the season . 2010 season . At the beginning of the calendar year , Merriman expressed concern that the Chargers may no longer want him , but said that his goal was to remain a Charger if possible . On March 4 , 2010 , the San Diego Chargers announced that they would place their first and third round franchise tender on Merriman , thus retaining him as a Charger . On August 13 , 2010 , after two weeks of hold out , Shawne Merriman signed tender and reported to camp . On October 13 , the Chargers announced that Merriman was being placed on injured reserve and , per NFL rules , would be released when he became healthy . Merriman had re - injured his calf against Oakland and has been limited in the first five weeks of the season . Merriman was put on waivers by the Chargers on November 2 , 2010 . He had only four sacks in his last three seasons in San Diego . Buffalo Bills . Merriman was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills the day after his release from the Chargers . On November 10 , Merriman suffered an Achilles injury during his first workout with his new team . Subsequently , on November 27 , the Bills placed Merriman on season - ending injury reserve . He signed a two - year contract extension worth $ 10 . 5 million with the Bills on January 1 , 2011 . The deal contained $ 5 million guaranteed , including $ 3 million of his 2012 salary . On October 25 , 2011 , Merriman was placed on Injured Reserve list for the second consecutive season after suffering a partially torn Achilles tendon . Merriman finished the season with nine tackles and a sack in five starts . During the 2012 offseason , Merriman was moved from outside linebacker to defensive end due to the switch of 3 - 4 to 4 - 3 . On August 20 , the team released Merriman . Merriman signed a contract to return to the Bills on October 15 , 2012 . Retirement . On March 5 , 2013 Merriman announced his retirement . Legal incident . On September 6 , 2009 Merriman was arrested and charged with battery and false imprisonment . Merriman ' s former girlfriend , reality TV star Tila Tequila , claimed in an arrest complaint that he choke d and restrained her when she tried to leave his home . The charges were dismissed less than a week later on September 11 , 2009 . In December 2009 , Merriman filed a civil suit against Tequila , alleging intentional interference with contract , unfair competition , and trademark infringement . He claimed that Tequila improperly used his own " Lights Out " logo and disrupted negotiations for t - shirts to be marketed by Wal - Mart . She failed to respond to the suit at all , and a default judgment was entered in his favor for $ 2 million . However , the default judgment was later set aside in January , 2010 . In February , 2010 , both sides jointly moved the court to dismiss the claim , and the court dismissed the case on the same day . Media appearances . Merriman was featured on an episode of MTV Exposed . On October 10 , 2007 Merriman was chosen as the cover athlete for EA Sports ' NFL Tour video game . Merriman appears in Keri Hilson ' s " Knock You Down " music video and made a special appearance at WWE ' s One Night Stand 2008 on June 1 , 2008 , where he hit superstar Chavo Guerrero with a Singapore Cane . Merriman is featured in the Nike Football " Leave Nothing " advertisement . Merriman made a cameo in season 7 of HBO ' s Entourage . Merriman also appeared on Cartoon Network ' s Destroy Build Destroy along with Antonio Gates . Merriman appeared on GNC ' s Athlete Tour 2010 under his MusclePharm sponsorship . Merriman appeared on WGR Sportsradio 550 ' s " Schopp and the Bulldog " in Buffalo , Friday , July 27 , 2012 . He visited the show ' s studio at Bills training camp in Rochester , N . Y . He showed off his tattoos in PETA ' s " Ink Not Mink " campaign , encouraging people not to wear animals furs .