Ladell Betts Matthew Ladell Betts ( born August 27 , 1979 in Kansas City , Kansas ) is an American football running back who is currently a free agent He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft . He played college football at Iowa . Early years . Betts grew up as an only child with a single mother who worked two and three jobs to make ends meet . He and his mother moved from Kansas City , Missouri , to the suburb of Blue Springs when Betts was a child , but he remained very close to his father who has always been an active influence on Ladell over the years . He attended Blue Springs High School , where he would become a football star . He also teammates with future NFLer , Brandon Lloyd . Betts , who was also a sprinter in high school , gained 1 , 813 yards and had 34 touchdowns as a high school junior . As a senior , he rushed for 2 , 183 yards and 32 touchdowns while playing most of the season with a broken right hand . Betts , who led his team to a 10 - 1 record , was named USA Today ' s Missouri Player of the Year after earning first team all - state and all - metro honors . He also earned the Thomas Simone Award , which goes to the best high school player in the Kansas City area , and was named a Parade and SuperPrep All - American . College career . After redshirting in 1997 at the University of Iowa , Betts played in all 11 games as a freshman . He set school records for rushing yards in a game and a season by a freshman . Betts led the team in rushing for the season and was Iowa ' s offensive MVP in four games . He was an honorable mention All - Big Ten selection . In 1999 , Betts started all 11 games , led the team in rushing again , and was named Iowa ' s co - MVP . He was also a second team All - Big Ten selection . As a junior in 2000 , Betts started every game and accounted for Iowa ' s entire rushing offense . He had 1 , 090 yards rushing in 2000 ; the Iowa Hawkeye team had 1 , 090 yards rushing that year . Betts was an honorable mention All - Big Ten selection . Betts again led Iowa in rushing as a senior , starting every game . He was Iowa ' s co - captain and co - MVP for the 2001 season , and he was named second team All - Big Ten . He helped lead the Hawkeyes to the Alamo Bowl that season , but he had only two carries before being forced to leave due to an injury in Iowa ' s 19 - 16 win . Betts started 43 games in his career and finished as Iowa ' s # 2 all - time leading rusher with 3 , 686 career yards . He scored 25 touchdowns in his career and added 702 yards receiving . He is the only Hawkeye to ever lead the team in rushing in four different seasons . Betts came to the University of Iowa to play for Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry . But Fry retired after Betts ' freshman season , and Betts played his last three years for Kirk Ferentz . Professional career . Washington Redskins . Betts was drafted in the second round ( 56th overall ) of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins . He played his first game when the Redskins met the San Francisco 49ers on September 22 , 2002 . On December 22 , 2002 , he set career highs , rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown . At the end of the season , Betts rushed 65 times for 307 yards his rookie season . He also had a touchdown of 27 yards . Betts caught 12 passes for 154 yards which included a 40 - yard long . He led the team in kickoff returns , returning 28 for 690 yards ( a 24 . 6 average ) . Betts played nine games in 2003 . He finished the season with 225 rushing yards , two touchdowns , and 59 kick return yards . Betts also caught 15 passes for 167 yards . He missed seven games due to a fractured left forearm . As a backup to Clinton Portis , Betts rushed for 371 yards on 90 carries ( 4 . 1 average ) and a touchdown in 2004 . He had 15 catches for 108 yards . His longest run was a 27 - yarder against the Minnesota Vikings when Portis was injured . Betts missed three games in 2005 due to injury but managed to play in 12 . He finished the season with 338 yards on 89 carries and a touchdown . He caught ten passes for 78 yards and a touchdown pass . In Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , Betts made his first kickoff return for a touchdown of his career with 94 - yarder . In the 2006 season , Betts set career highs in several different areas as he filled in for the injured Clinton Portis , starting nine games as well as receiving significant carries spelling Portis . He totalled 1 , 154 rushing yard with a 4 . 7 yards per carry average and four rushing touchdowns . He also caught 53 passes for 445 yards and one touchdown as one of the leading receivers in a struggling offense . On December 10 , 2006 Betts set a career high with 171 yards rushing in a game . Betts is the only running back in the history of the Redskins franchise to record consecutive 150 yard rushing games . In a 2009 preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens , his jersey misspelled his last name as it said Bettis , as most would consider thinking about former Steelers halfback Jerome Bettis . He was released on March 4 , 2010 . New Orleans Saints . Betts signed a one - year contract for the New Orleans Saints on August 16 , 2010 . He was cut on September 3 , 2010 . However , after Reggie Bush suffered a broken leg in the Saints ' second game , the Saints again signed Betts on September 22 , 2010 . He sustained a neck injury and concussion in a Week 11 game against Seattle , and ultimately was placed on the injured reserve list on December 8 , 2010 .