Cortland Finnegan Cortland Temujin Finnegan ( born February 2 , 1984 ) is an American football cornerback for the St . Louis Rams of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft . He played college football for Samford University . High school career . Finnegan attended Milton High School in Milton , Florida , where he starred as safety and tailback , earning second - team All - State as a senior in 2001 . He caught 22 passes for 403 yards , and also averaged 3 . 4 yards per rush and scored 3 touchdowns rushing . On defense , he recorded 65 tackles . College career . During his sophomore year , Finnegan was named first - team All - OVC , third - team All - OVC as returner , third - team All - American by Sports Network and earned Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors , while starting every game . Finnegan totaled team and career - high 108 tackles , three tackles for loss , career - high three interceptions , eight passes defensed and two fumble recoveries , and he also returned 21 kickoffs for 577 yards ( 27 . 5 avg . ) and one touchdown . As a junior , Cortland Finnegan was named first - team All - OVC , while starting every game at free safety . He led his team with 86 tackles , two tackles for loss , three interceptions ( tied career - high ) , two passes defensed and one fumble forced . Finnegan also returned 11 kickoffs for 286 yards ( 26 . 0 avg . ) . During his senior year at Samford , Finnegan was named first - team All - American by NFL Draft Report , first - team All - American by American Football Coaches Association and first - team All - OVC for third consecutive year . He started every game at free safety and led team with 98 tackles for third consecutive season and added two tackles for loss , one interception , seven passes defensed , one fumble forced and one fumble recovery . Cortland Finnegan ranked first in OVC conference with 15 . 1 punt return average , while returning 14 punts for 212 yards and one touchdown . Ranked second in OVC conference with 25 . 1 kickoff return average on 15 returns for 376 yards . Professional career . 2006 NFL Draft . Playing at Samford , Finnegan was unnoticed and overlooked in the 2006 NFL Draft . He displayed good speed at Samford ' s Pro Day , but lacked ideal height and was deemed a shaky tackler . " Sports Illustrated " projected him to go undrafted , but Finnegan was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the seventh pick of the seventh round ( 215th overall ) . He was the first Samford player drafted since Gary Fleming went 163rd overall to the Baltimore Colts in the 1969 NFL Draft . Tennessee Titans . He played in all 16 games with two starts ( one October 15 at Washington as nickel back and again on November 19 at Philadelphia as left cornerback ) . Finnegan had 57 tackles , two sacks , three quarterback pressures , one tackle for a loss , seven passes defensed , one forced fumble , and he returned a fumble from David Garrard for a ninety - two - yard touchdown during the December 17 game against Jacksonville . He also tied for fourth on the team with 15 special teams tackles with one fumble recovery . He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time for intercepting two David Garrard passes during his Week 1 performance of the 2008 season . Finnegan was a pleasant surprise for Tennessee in the 2006 – 07 season after starting at the beginning of the Titans ' six - game win streak . He made plays left and right ; most notably his 92 - yard fumble return against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday , December 17 . It was one of the 3 defensive touchdowns for the Titans in that game — a franchise record . In his NFL debut against the Jets he had a sack and forced fumble . On December 16 , 2008 , the National Football League named Finnegan a 2009 Pro Bowl starter alongside Oakland Raiders corner Nnamdi Asomugha . It was Finnegan ' s first and only Pro Bowl selection . In 2010 Finnegan became a member of School of the Legends ( SOTL ) , an online community and partner of the NFLPA . SOTL ' s headquarters are located in Nashville , TN . On - field incidents . In September 2010 , Finnegan was fined $ 5 , 000 for throwing New York Giants wide receiver Steve Smith to the ground by his helmet . In October 2010 , Finnegan was fined $ 10 , 000 for unnecessary roughness after hitting Denver Broncos guard Chris Kuper after Kuper ' s helmet was off . After this incident , the NFL warned Finnegan that similar violations in the future could lead to him being revoked from the NFL . On November 28 , 2010 , Finnegan was involved in a fist fight with Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson . Each player was ejected , and each subsequently fined $ 25 , 000 . Finnegan is considered one of the dirtiest and most aggressive players in all of sports . St . Louis Rams . Finnegan signed a five - year , $ 50 million ( $ 27 million guaranteed ) deal with the St . Louis Rams on March 13 , 2012 . Following his former coach , Jeff Fisher , from the Titans to the Rams . In Week 1 , his first game with the St . Louis Rams , against the Detroit Lions , Cortland intercepted a Matthew Stafford pass and returned it for a touchdown . In Week 2 against the Washington Redskins , Finnegan was able to draw a penalty against Washington Redskins WR Josh Morgan in the closing seconds . The 15 - yard penalty turned what would ' ve been a game tying 47 - yard field goal attempt into a 62 yarder . The attempt was no good and St . Louis recorded its first victory of the year . On October 26 , Finnegan was fined $ 7 , 875 for grabbing Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson ' s facemask in Week 7 .