Kwame Harris Kwame Harris ( born on March 15 , 1982 ) is a retired American football offensive tackle who played six seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft . He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal , when he won the Morris Trophy as the top offensive lineman in the Pac - 10 Conference in 2002 . Harris played high school football in Delaware , and was among the top prep offensive lineman in the country . He played three years at Stanford , twice earning all - conference honors and also being named honorable mention All - American in his final season . Harris was among the top - rated offensive lineman available in the 2003 draft , and he played five seasons with the 49ers and one with Oakland Raiders . He was a starter for most of his career , but often struggled with blocking and committing penalties . Early years . Harris was born in Jamaica and came to the United States when he was three years old . His family first settled in the the Bronx in New York before moving to Delaware , where Harris ' father operated multiple successful restaurants . Harris started playing the piano at age five and started playing the violin in seventh grade . He grew up in Newark , Delaware , and attended Newark High School . He played violin in his high school orchestra along with playing high school football . He was a unanimous All - America n selection and generally considered one of the top prep offensive lineman in the nation . College career . Harris enrolled at Stanford University , where he was a music major . He played three years for the Cardinal , and he was a two - year starter at right tackle . Harris played seven games at left tackle in his freshman year , when he was the team ' s top reserve offensive lineman . He became one of the top lineman in the Pac - 10 Conference , earning Second - Team All - Pac - 10 honors in his sophomore year after starting 12 games at right tackle . In his final season in 2002 , Harris started 11 games , and he was named First - Team All - Pac - 10 and won the Morris Trophy as the top offensive lineman in the conference . He was also an honorable mention All - American and an honorable mention Academic All - Pac - 10 . Harris gave up his final year of eligibility at Stanford to enter the NFL . Professional career . Harris was ranked the No . 2 offensive tackle available in the 2003 NFL Draft , behind only Jordan Gross . He was selected in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft with the 26th overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers , and he played five seasons with the team . He started 37 consecutive games from 2004 – 2007 , beginning with the final five games of 2004 at left tackle , followed by 32 games at right tackle the two years after . Harris was a good run blocker , but he was inconsistent on pass protection , struggling to block defensive linemen while frequently committing penalties . He allowed nine sack s and committed 15 penalties including seven false start s in 2005 , and eight sacks with four holding penalties and one false start the following year . The 49ers drafted Joe Staley in the first round in 2007 , and he won the starting job at right tackle as Harris was relegated to a backup role in his final year . In 2008 , Harris signed a three - year contract for $ 16 million with the Oakland Raiders , who hoped that line coach Tom Cable could revive his career . He started 11 games that year . Late in the season , however , he again struggled with his blocking and penalties , and the Raiders released him after the season . He retired after being cut in 2010 by the Florida Tuskers in the United Football League , and he was replaced by former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive guard Darnell Stapleton . He played six seasons in his NFL career , starting 55 times in 86 games . Profootballtalk . com called Harris " a major disappointment in the pros . " After football . Harris returned to college after retiring from football in order to complete his undergraduate degree . On January 28 , 2013 , at San Mateo County Superior Court , Harris pleaded not guilty to charges that he assaulted his ex - boyfriend , Dimitri Geier , on August 21 , 2012 . He was charged with felony counts of domestic violence causing great bodily injury and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury . Geier also sued Harris for assault , battery , false imprisonment , negligence and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress . According to the suit , Harris became upset and the two men argued after Geier poured soy sauce on a plate of rice at a restaurant in Menlo Park , California . The situation escalated as the two exchanged blows . His attorney , Alin Cintean , said Geier assaulted Harris first . " Unfortunately , Mr . Geier is the one who ended up with an injury , " he said . After the incident became public , Cintean stated that Harris identifies as gay , remarking that " he is a very private person . He doesn ' t like to talk about his personal life . " No NFL player had come out as gay while they were playing , and only a few had after retiring . Personal life . Harris ' younger brother , Orien , also played in the NFL as a defensive tackle . Their older bother , Duevorn , was a defensive tackle in the Arena Football League .