Marquand Manuel Marquand Alexander Manuel ( born July 11 , 1979 ) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League ( NFL ) for eight seasons . Manuel played college football for the University of Florida . The Cincinnati Bengals picked him in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft , and he also played for the Seattle Seahawks , Green Bay Packers , Carolina Panthers , Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions . He is currently an assistant defensive coach for the Seattle Seahawks . Early years . Manuel was born in Miami , Florida in 1979 . He attended Miami Senior High School , and he played high school football for the Miami High Stingaree s . As a senior safety in 1996 , Manuel was a Florida Class 6A all - state selection who made ninety - six tackles , nine interceptions and eight blocked passes . He received high school All - America recognition from National Recruiting Advisor , PrepStar and SuperPrep , and was rated among the top defensive back prospects in the country . Manuel was also a four - year honor roll student , and ran the 100 - meter dash in 10 . 6 seconds for the Miami Stingarees track team . College career . Manuel received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville , Florida , where he played for coach Steve Spurrier ' s Florida Gators football team from 1998 to 2001 . The Gators coaching staff decided to red - shirt him as a true freshman in 1997 , but he played in all eleven regular season games in 1998 . As a sophomore in 1999 , he totaled 118 tackles , three interceptions , two sacks , one forced fumble and four passes defensed as a sophomore . He started two games at outside linebacker , in addition to seeing significant action at safety , and led the team in tackles . As a junior in 2000 , Manuel served as a key leader on Florida ' s 10 – 2 Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) championship team that earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl . As a senior team captain in 2001 , he helped lead the Gators to a 10 – 2 record , a 56 – 23 victory over the Maryland Terrapins in the Orange Bowl , and a final No . 3 ranking in both major polls . He played in forty - six games during his collegiate career , and totaled 308 tackles , eight quarterback sack s , nine tackles for a loss , six fumble recoveries , twenty - two passes defensed and six interceptions . Manuel was a four - year SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree . He earned a bachelor ' s degree in criminal justice from the University of Florida in December 2000 , and finished his college football career as a graduate student working toward a master ' s degree in counseling education with a special emphasis on mental health . Professional career . Cincinnati Bengals . The Cincinnati Bengals selected Manuel in the sixth round ( 181st pick overall ) of the 2002 NFL Draft , and he played for the Bengals for two seasons in and . Manuel made his NFL debut against the Cleveland Browns on September 15 , 2002 , and started for the first time against the Indianapolis Colts and had two tackles . During the 2003 season , Manuel totaled eight tackles ( six solo ) in thirteen games with one start for the Bengals , and he also added five tackles on special teams . Manuel was waived by Cincinnati on September 5 , 2004 . Seattle Seahawks . Manuel was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks on September 6 , 2004 . In his first season with Seattle in , he played in fifteen games , finishing with ten tackles ( seven solo ) on defense and had nine stops on special teams . In , Manuel was part of the Seahawks team that finished 13 – 3 . In the 2005 NFC Championship Game against the Carolina Panthers , he returned an interception thirty - two yards to set up a touchdown . The Seahawks reached Super Bowl XL , but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 21 – 10 . Manuel started the Super Bowl at free safety , but injured his hip and was replaced by Etric Pruitt . Green Bay Packers . After Seattle ' s Super Bowl season , he was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an unrestricted free agent on March 13 , 2006 . During his only season with the Packers in , Manuel started all sixteen games , totaling a career - high 103 tackles to rank fourth on the team . Memorably , he intercepted a pass deflected by Ahmad Carroll and returned it twenty - nine yards for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions on September 24 . Carolina Panthers . The Green Bay Packers released Manuel on September 1 , 2007 during the final preseason roster cuts , and he was signed by the Carolina Panthers on September 3 . He played for the Panthers for a single season during , playing in sixteen games and starting in two of them . Denver Broncos . The Denver Broncos signed Manuel as an unrestricted free agent on March 8 , 2008 , and he played for the Broncos for a single season in . He played in all sixteen regular season games for the Broncos , starting in fourteen of them , and tallying eighty - three tackles and four blocked passes . Detroit Lions . Manuel was signed by the Lions as a free agent on June 2 , 2009 , and he played his final season in for the Lions . He played in nine games for the Lions , starting in six of them , and compiling thirty - six tackles . The Lions released him on August 4 , 2010 , during the 2010 preseason . During his eight seasons in the NFL , Manuel played in 116 games , starting in fifty - seven of them , and compiled 366 tackles ; he also had fifteen blocked passes , two interceptions and four forced fumbles . Coaching career . On February 14 , 2012 , the Seattle Seahawks announced that the team had hired Manuel to serve as Seahawks ' assistant special teams coach . Personal . He established the Marquand Manuel Foundation to help kids in his hometown of Miami . His oldest brother , John , was a " Parade " magazine All - American and played football at Florida State University . Marquand is the ninth of nineteen children and has a family of siblings whose ages differ by 25 years from oldest to youngest . Manuel has a daughter , Madison .