Charles Rogers (wide receiver)

Rogers was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan. He won the state title in the 400-meter dash his senior year, beating fellow NFL player Carl Ford who finished in second place. ==College career==

While attending Michigan State University, Rogers played for the Spartans from 2000 to 2002. He broke numerous receiving records. Rogers still holds the school records for most touchdowns in a career with 27, breaking the record held by former Spartans wide receiver and baseball legend Kirk Gibson, and the school record for most receiving yards in a single game with 270. He broke Randy Moss's NCAA record of 13 consecutive games with a touchdown catch. During Rogers' 2002 junior season, he had 68 receptions for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns, won the Fred Biletnikoff Award and Paul Warfield Trophy as the season's outstanding college football receiver, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. His stock went up dramatically in his junior year when, in a game against Notre Dame, he outjumped two defenders to catch a Jeff Smoker pass in the back of the end zone, then managed to keep his left foot in bounds to score a touchdown. ==Professional career==

The Detroit Lions selected Rogers with the second overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft, one pick ahead of University of Miami wide receiver and future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Andre Johnson. Rogers caught 22 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns during his first five games of the 2003 season, before breaking his clavicle during a one-on-one drill with Dré Bly in practice, leaving him out for the season. On the third play of the 2004 season, against the Chicago Bears, Rogers suffered another broken clavicle, knocking him out for the season. He was so devastated by the injury that the Lions allowed him to go home for the remainder of the season. Years later, Lions general manager Matt Millen said that in hindsight, he made a mistake by letting Rogers be away from the team for an extended period of time. On September 2, 2006, Rogers was released by the Lions. New coach Rod Marinelli was not impressed with Rogers' humdrum effort during training camp; he said of Rogers' release, "We picked the men that are right for this football team. It's behind us." He worked out thereafter for the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2006. However, he was not signed due to his 40-yard dash times of 4.8 seconds. At his peak, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds. However, Rogers did not repay that money, and the Lions filed a lawsuit against him. In April 2010, U.S. federal judge Julian A. Cook ruled that Rogers had to pay $6.1 million of his signing bonus. In an interview in 2017, regarding the money owed the Lions, Rogers stated that he planned on filing for bankruptcy. ==Career statistics==

Rogers fathered eight children with four women. Two of the children were born before he graduated from high school. Prescription opioid addiction Following the injuries he suffered during the early part of his career in Detroit, Rogers developed an addiction to the prescription medication containing an opioid Vicodin, which also contains acetaminophen, a product sold over-the-counter as Tylenol but is known to cause severe liver failure when taken in the dosages that were allegedly given to him by Lions team physicians. Legal issues Rogers tested positive for marijuana twice while at Michigan State, and a test at the NFL Scouting Combine detected excess water in his system. Rogers continued to smoke marijuana after his 2004 season-ending injury, which led to his 2005 suspension. In a 2009 interview with ESPN, he said that his hard living contributed to his downfall in the NFL. In September 2008, Rogers was arrested and charged with assault and battery of his girlfriend, Naija Washington; the charges were later dropped. In December 2008, Rogers was sentenced to attend drug court or face jail time after violating his probation. In March 2009, Rogers was jailed for violating probation. On September 16, 2009, Rogers was arrested in Novi, Michigan for driving under the influence of alcohol after police found him unresponsive behind the wheel of his car. Rogers was arrested again in Novi on January 5, 2010, after he was found passed out from drinking at a restaurant, which was a violation of a sobriety court order; he was sentenced to 93 days in jail two days later. ==Death==

On November 11, 2019, Rogers died in Fort Myers, Florida at age 38 of liver failure. He had been diagnosed with cancer and was in need of a liver transplant. ==References==