Manuel Wright Manuel " Manny " Wright ( born April 13 , 1984 in Compton , California ) is an Arena football Offensive line man / Defensive line man for the Stockton Lightning of af2 . He was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2005 supplemental draft . He played college football at USC . Wright has also briefly been signed to the Buffalo Bills and played for the New York Giants . He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII . Early years . Wright earned various team , local and national honors as a member of the football team at Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach , California . As a junior in 2000 , Wright recorded 95 tackles ( 57 solo ) and with 25 sacks . As a senior , Wright was the team ' s defensive MVP after recording 142 tackles ( 60 solo ) , 16 sacks , four fumble recoveries , three forced fumbles , 20 deflections and an interception . College career . Wright originally signed with USC in 2002 but did not qualify for admission , so he attended Long Beach City College that season as a part - time student . However , he did not play football there . In 2003 , Wright served as a backup for Defensive tackle s Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson . While appearing in nine games during the season , Wright recorded eight tackles , including two for losses and three pass deflections . His first career sack came against Michigan in the Rose Bowl . Off the field , Wright was arrested on three misdemeanor charges , including assaulting one of his roommates , and assault with a deadly weapon . He later apologized to his teammates , coaches , friends and family for his actions and the charges were dropped . Wright remained a backup to both Cody and Patterson as a sophomore in 2004 . He appeared in 11 games including two starts when Cody was moved to Defensive end . On the year Wright had 23 tackles , including six for losses , two pass deflections and two fumble recoveries . For his efforts , he was an All - Pac - 10 honorable mention . Early departure . In 2005 Wright was a projected starter for the first time in his career , however , he sat out spring practices in order to work on his academics and remain eligible . However , he was unsuccessful , and was left with the options of either staying in school and not playing football or declaring for the NFL ' s supplemental draft , which is held by the league to accommodate players who did not enter the regular draft . Wright would choose the latter . Professional career . Miami Dolphins . Leading up to the supplemental draft , many NFL teams showed interest in Wright in the form of visits , workouts and interviews . The Miami Dolphins selected Wright in the fifth round of the draft , which essentially replaced their fifth - round pick in the 2006 draft . On July 22 , Wright signed a four - year contract with the team . It included a signing bonus of $ 190 , 000 . Wright endured injuries and battled weight issues during his first training camp while his work ethic and maturity were questioned by some . In a much publicized incident on July 26 , Wright broke down in tears during practice after being scolded by Head coach Nick Saban . As a rookie , Wright would end up being active for only three games during the season . He made his NFL debut on December 4 against the Buffalo Bills , stepping in for injured Nose tackle Keith Traylor . Wright recorded two tackles and a sack . He finished the season with four tackles , one sack and one pass deflected . Wright reportedly gained 28 pounds during the 2006 offseason , but lost most of the weight during training camp . On August 8 , a reportedly depressed Wright took a leave of absence from the team . He was quoted as saying he " did not believe he would ever play for the Dolphins again and that he needed a ' fresh start ' " . Despite requests from his family and from Head coach Nick Saban , Wright remained away from football in 2006 . The Dolphins attempted to trade him , unsuccessfully , but were unable to reach an agreement to release him . The team received a roster exemption for Wright in 2006 and he was placed on the non - football injury list . Although Wright had returned to the team during the 2007 offseason under new head coach Cam Cameron , he was released on May 1 . Buffalo Bills . On May 3 , the Buffalo Bills claimed Wright on waivers . Less than a week later , he was waived by the Bills . He told Chris Brown of the team ' s official website that he had 30 pounds to lose . Wright was subsequently cut by the Bills on May 10 after showing up at the teams first minicamp overweight . New York Giants . Wright signed with the New York Giants on August 15 , 2007 . He appeared in six games during the regular season and recorded two tackles . He was also a member of the Giants ' Super Bowl XLII championship team . On April 10 , 2008 , the Giants waived Wright . af2 . In 2008 Wright joined the af2 and on December 22 was assigned to the Stockton Lightning . However , on May 8 , he was suspended by the team .