Mike Pearson ( American football ) Michael Wayne Pearson ( born August 22 , 1980 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League ( NFL ) and the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) for five seasons . Pearson played college football for the University of Florida , and earned All - American honors . A second - round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft , he played professionally for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL and the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL . Early years . Pearson was born in Tampa , Florida in 1980 . He attended Armwood High School in Seffner , Florida , where he played high school football for the Armwood Hawks . College career . Pearson accepted 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 1999 to 2001 . After being red - shirted in 1998 , he was a three - year letterman for the Gators , and he received the Gators ' James W . Kynes Award , recognizing him as the lineman who " best exemplified mental and physical toughness and iron - man determination . " He was also a two - time Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) Academic Honor Roll selection . Pearson played in thirty - five games with thirty - three starts , including two bowl games : the 2001 Orange Bowl and the 2000 Sugar Bowl . He was a first - team All - SEC selection in 2000 and 2001 , and was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American in 2001 . Pearson graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor ' s degree in business administration in 2001 . He will be inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a " Gator Great " in spring 2013 . Professional career . Pearson was drafted in the second round ( fortieth pick overall ) in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars , and he played for the Jaguars from through . His " break " came in his rookie season , when offensive tackle Maurice Williams was injured . Pearson started at left tackle for thirty - one consecutive games , until he was injured on October 3 , 2004 against the Indianapolis Colts ; after knee surgery he was placed on injured reserve , and returned in 2005 . He started two games in 2005 , and was released . In 2006 , he was signed by the Miami Dolphins , but released during training camp . He signed by the Houston Texans in November and was released in December . In June , he signed as a free agent with the CFL ' s Toronto Argonauts . He began the season as the Argos ' starting left tackle , but after two games , was moved to the injured reserved list with an infected right index finger . Pearson was treated to intravenous therapy with serious concerns over whether the infection required finger amputation . He ultimately regained full health without any amputation and returned to his starting duties at left tackle on September 3 , 2007 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers . On November 3 , 2007 , Pearson suffered a season - ending injury when teammate Chad Folk fell on his ankle . On May 31 , 2008 , Pearson announced his retirement from professional football , after having played in nine regular season games for the Argonauts during 2007 .