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Deltha O'Neal

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Deltha O'Neal
refer to caption
O'Neal with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006
No. 24, 21
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1977-01-30) January 30, 1977 (age 48)
Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Milpitas (Milpitas, California)
College:California
NFL draft:2000: 1st round, 15th pick
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
NFL record
  • Most passes intercepted in a single game: 4 (tied)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:388
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:4
Interceptions:34
Total return yards:2,644
Total touchdowns:6
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Deltha Lee O'Neal, III (born January 30, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was selected by the Denver Broncos as the 15th pick overall in the 2000 NFL draft, and played for the Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots of the NFL. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection.

Early life

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O'Neal was born in Palo Alto, California. He is a 1995 graduate of Milpitas High School in Milpitas, California, where he was a running back, cornerback, and kick returner for the Milpitas high school football team. In track & field, he was a state-qualifier in the 100 and 200-meters, with personal-bests of 10.75 in the 100 and 21.66 in the 200. He was also a member of the 4 × 100 m (41.65s) relay squad.

College career

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He attended the University of California, Berkeley, and played for the California Golden Bears football team. In his senior year with the Golden Bears, O'Neal set the NCAA single-season record of four interceptions returned for touchdowns and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. He graduated from California with a degree in social welfare in 2000.

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight
5 ft 11 in
(1.80 m) 		193 lb
(88 kg)
Values from NFL Combine[1]

Denver Broncos

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The Denver Broncos selected O'Neal in the first round (15th overall) of the 2000 NFL draft.[2] He was the first cornerback selected in 2000. On April 25, 2000, the Broncos' No. 1 starting cornerback Dale Carter was notified he will be suspended for the entire 2000 NFL season after violating the NFL Substance Abuse Policy.[3]

On July 21, 2000, the Denver Broncos signed O'Neal to a five—year, $6.96 million rookie contract that includes a signing bonus of $4.55 million.[4][5]

He entered training camp as a possible candidate to takeover the role as the No. 1 starting cornerback, but had to compete with Terrell Buckley, Darryl Pounds, and Jimmy Spencer.[4]

Due to O'Neal's speed, former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan briefly flirted with converting O'Neal to wide receiver in mid-2003. O'Neal had two receptions, for four yards, in two games. O'Neal was also used frequently to return punts and kickoffs on special teams. While with the Broncos, O'Neal tied the record for most interceptions in a game with four.

Cincinnati Bengals

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On April 8, 2004, the Denver Broncos traded O'Neal, along with their first (24th overall) and fourth-round selections (117th overall) in the 2004 NFL Draft to the Cincinnati Bengals in return for their 2004 first-round selection (17th overall).[6][7] On the same day, the Cincinnati Bengals signed O'Neal to a five—year, $8.52 million contract extension that included a signing bonus of $2.00 million. The contract added four years to the final year of his rookie contract and was restructured into a five—year deal that will keep him under contract throughout 2009.[8]

In the 2005 season, O'Neal recorded ten interceptions, breaking the franchise record of nine, set by Ken Riley in 1976 and equalling Ty Law as the NFL's interception leader that year. He broke the record on December 18, 2005, against the Detroit Lions.

In early December 2006, O'Neal was arrested on DWI charges.[9] In the 2007 season, O'Neal recorded 52 tackles and one interception.

On August 30, 2008, the Cincinnati Bengals officially released O'Neal as part of their final roster cuts.[10]

New England Patriots

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On September 1, 2008, the New England Patriots signed O'Neal to a one—year, $1 million contract as an unrestricted free agenct.[11]

Houston Texans

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O'Neal signed with the Houston Texans on August 6, 2009, following an injury to cornerback Jacques Reeves.[12] He was released on September 5, 2009.

NFL career statistics

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Year Team GP Tackles Fumbles Interceptions Punt returns Kickoff returns
Cmb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD Ret Yds Lng TD FC Ret Yds Lng TD
2000 DEN 16 2 2 0 0.0 1 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 34 354 64 0 11 46 1,102 87 1
2001 DEN 16 69 62 7 0.0 0 0 9 115 12.8 42 0 25 31 405 86 1 9 0 0 0 0
2002 DEN 16 69 59 10 0.0 0 0 5 70 14.0 28 2 9 30 251 53 0 7 1 15 15 0
2003 DEN 13 23 20 3 0.0 0 0 1 6 6.0 6 0 2 33 315 57 1 10 8 128 24 0
2004 CIN 12 39 34 5 1.0 1 0 4 60 15.0 31 1 15 7 33 17 0 6 1 15 15 0
2005 CIN 15 65 56 9 0.0 0 1 10 103 10.3 37 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 1 14 14 0
2006 CIN 12 37 30 7 0.0 0 1 1 42 42.0 42 0 9 1 10 10 0 2 0 0 0 0
2007 CIN 16 52 48 4 0.0 1 1 1 7 7.0 7 0 9 — — — — — — — — —
2008 NE 16 32 30 2 0.0 0 0 3 49 16.3 47 0 8 2 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0
Career[13] 132 388 341 47 1.0 3 4 34 452 13.3 47 3 98 138 1,370 86 2 46 57 1,274 87 1
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On December 9, 2006, O'Neal was arrested in the Pierce Twp community of Cincinnati after he was pulled over for driving while intoxicated. O'Neal was driving a black Cadillac Escalade. He was one of 9 Bengals players arrested during the 2006 offseason and regular season.

In December 2019, O'Neal was charged with one count of DUI with serious injury and one of DUI with property damage in Royal Palm Beach, Florida after speeding 100 mph in his Mercedes Benz and striking a utility pole, causing the vehicle to catch fire on August 7, 2019. He and a passenger were airlifted to St. Mary's Medical Center, where O'Neal suffered a broken ankle, a fractured back and neck, an eye injury, brain bleeding and intestinal injuries.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "2000 NFL Draft Scout Deltha O'Neal College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  2. ^ "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  3. ^ "Dale Carter Suspended". NFL.com. April 25, 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Two key player signings by Broncos". UPI.com. July 21, 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  5. ^ "Spotrac.com: Deltha O'Neal contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  6. ^ Hunt, David (April 8, 2004). "Broncos deal Deltha O'Neal to Cincinnati". 9news.com. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  7. ^ "Bengals trade for Pro Bowl corner". Bengals.com. April 8, 2004. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  8. ^ "Bengals acquire CB O'Neal, swap first-round picks with Denver". ESPN.com. April 9, 2004. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  9. ^ "Bengals Pro Bowl CB O'Neal inactive after DWI charge". ESPN.com. December 9, 2006.
  10. ^ "Patriots sign two-time Pro Bowl cornerback O'Neal". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 1, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  11. ^ "Patriots sign two-time Pro Bowl CB Deltha O'Neal". NFL.com. September 1, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  12. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (August 6, 2009). "Texans dial up Deltha O'Neal". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  13. ^ "Deltha O'Neal Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  14. ^ "Former NFL All Pro player charged with DUI in fiery Royal Palm crash". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
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