Mike Echols ( American football ) Michael Kitome Echols ( born October 13 , 1978 ) is a former American football cornerback who played in both the National Football League ( NFL ) and the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) . He was selected in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans . He played collegiately for the University of Wisconsin – Madison . At Wisconsin , he was a four – year starter at cornerback . He finished his career with a recovered fumble and 12 interceptions , returning one for a touchdown . Before his junior season in 2000 , he was suspended one game for receiving unadvertised discounts at a shoe store . After the season , he was given second – team All – Big Ten Conference honors . In 2002 , after graduating from Wisconsin , he declared for the NFL Draft . He was drafted by the Titans and debuted later that season . However , after four weeks , he injured his leg and missed the rest of the season . The following season , he saw limited action before being released by the team in 2004 . After his stint with the Titans ended , he spent time with the Atlanta Falcons , Indianapolis Colts , and Detroit Lions , failing to appear in a game for any of the teams . In 2006 , Echols played his final professional game for the Hamilton Tiger - Cats of the CFL , intercepting a pass in his only game for the team . Early years . Echols was born on October 13 , 1978 in Youngstown , Ohio . He has type 1 diabetes and requires the use of insulin . He attended Ursuline High School in Youngstown , where he was named third – team All – State . In his senior season , he recorded ten interceptions . He also played wide receiver for the football team , recording 25 reception s for 558 yards in his career . A member of the basketball team , he was a freshman when the team won the state title . As a freshman at Wisconsin in 1997 , Echols was redshirted , but in 1998 , he entered week one of the season as a starting cornerback opposite fellow redshirt freshman Jamar Fletcher . Against Purdue on October 11 , he intercepted quarterback Drew Brees in the end zone , ending their first drive of the game . Wisconsin won 31 – 24 . He finished the season with three interceptions . In 1999 , he started the season off poorly , being beat for touchdowns often ; however , as the season progressed , his performances improved . During the season , he intercepted just one pass . Before his junior season in 2000 , Echols and 25 of his teammates were suspended for the start of the season by the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) for receiving unadvertised discounts at a shoe store . He served his one - game suspension during week two of the season , in which Wisconsin won 27 – 23 against Oregon . On November 4 , against Minnesota , he intercepted a pass and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown . He finished the season with five total interceptions , as well as a fumble recovery . Echols also set a school record with 25 pass deflections . He was named second – team All – Big Ten Conference for his performances that season . Entering 2001 , Echols became the only returning member of Wisconsin ' s secondary after the other players either graduated or declared for the 2001 NFL Draft . In an interview about the team , secondary coach Todd Bradford said that Echols , " is probably as good a tackling defensive back as there is in the country . " On September 27 , after Wisconsin lost to Oregon early in the month , Oregon ' s quarterback Joey Harrington , in a diary for " ESPN . com " , stated that Echols , " is one of the best corners I have ever played against . He was very impressive . " He finished his senior season at Wisconsin with three interceptions . He graduated in 2002 with a degree in behavioral science and law . Professional career . Tennessee Titans . Prior to the 2002 NFL Draft , Echols was considered to be the 14th - best cornerback in the draft class and was projected to go in either the fourth or fifth round by " NFLDraftScout . com " . Leading up to the draft , Pete Prisco of " CBS Sports " wrote that Echols , " isn ' t that big , but he can sure run . " He also listed him as being a player that teams were underrating heading into the draft . On the second day of the draft , Echols was selected with the 12th pick of the fourth round by the Tennessee Titans . On July 15 , he signed a rookie contract with the Titans . However , on July 26 , he was placed on the active / physically unable to perform list by the Titans . He made his debut with the Titans in week one against the Philadelphia Eagles . He recorded three tackles in the game . In week three , against the Cleveland Browns , Echols allowed the game – winning eight – yard touchdown to Browns wide receiver Dennis Northcutt . In the Titans ' week four game against the Oakland Raiders , he suffered a leg injury and did not play another game for the rest of the season . He underwent surgery on his left tibia in December . He finished the season with 24 tackles in four games . The following season , he played sparingly , appearing in just five games and recording just eight tackles . His season debut came in week six against the Houston Texans , in which he recorded no tackles . Against both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins , he recorded three tackles . In the 2004 preseason , after starting cornerback Samari Rolle injured his ankle , Echols started at right cornerback for the Titans . On August 30 , against the Dallas Cowboys , he gave up 35 - yard pass interference penalty , leading to the Cowboys ' Billy Cundiff making a field goal to end the first half of the game . Despite starting , he was considered a candidate to be traded at the end of training camp , only to be released on September 14 . Later career . On September 20 , 2004 , Echols was signed to the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts . In early October , he was signed off the Colts ' practice squad by the Atlanta Falcons , but was waived on October 26 without making an appearance for Atlanta . The Colts re - signed him to their practice squad three days later . He was later promoted from the practice squad , only to be waived . On December 16 , was signed to the Minnesota Vikings ' practice squad . The Detroit Lions then signed him off the Vikings ' practice squad on December 22 . After becoming a restricted free agent at season ' s end , he re - signed with the Lions on April 14 , 2005 . He made the 53 - man roster out of training camp , but was waived on October 13 . After his release by the Titans , he never appeared in another NFL game , despite being on the active roster for nine games in 2004 . He finished his NFL career with 32 tackles in nine games , all of which came with Tennessee . On July 4 , 2006 , he signed with the Hamilton Tiger - Cats of the Canadian Football League . In his debut with Hamilton on July 21 , he intercepted a pass from Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown . However , a week later , he was released by the team .