1. Antoine Akeem Bethea is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 14 seasons in the National Football League.
53 Facts About Antoine Bethea
1. 2.
Antoine Bethea played college football for the Howard Bison and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL draft.
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Antoine Bethea was selected for the Pro Bowl three times and won Super Bowl XLI as a member of the Colts, beating the Chicago Bears.
4.
Antoine Bethea attended Howard University, where he majored in administration of justice, and played for the Howard Bison football team.
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Antoine Bethea would have a career-best 109 total tackles his sophomore year while seeing action as a starter in 10 of 11 games that year.
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Antoine Bethea ended that year adding one sack, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, six pass deflections and a blocked kick.
7.
Antoine Bethea would earn these honors three years in a row.
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Antoine Bethea would continue his success in his senior season, collecting 88 tackles, six passes defensed and a career-high four interceptions in 10 games.
9.
Antoine Bethea returned two recoveries for a touchdown: one coming on a blocked kick and the other on a fumble recovery, both returned 26 yards.
10.
Antoine Bethea was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts.
11.
Antoine Bethea was ranked as the sixth best free safety prospect in the draft by DraftScout.
12.
Head coach Tony Dungy named Antoine Bethea the starting free safety to begin the regular season, alongside strong safety Bob Sanders.
13.
Antoine Bethea was inactive during the Colts' Week 13 loss at the Tennessee Titans due to an injury.
14.
Antoine Bethea started the first ten games and began developing a reputation for delivering big hits over the middle.
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Antoine Bethea's performance placed him in line as a possible rookie of the year candidate.
16.
Antoine Bethea finished his rookie season with 90 combined tackles, four pass deflections, and an interception in 14 games and 14 starts.
17.
Antoine Bethea entered training camp slated as the starting free safety.
18.
Antoine Bethea missed the last three games of the regular season due to a knee injury.
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Antoine Bethea finished his second season with 65 combined tackles, eight pass deflections, and four interceptions in 13 games and 13 starts.
20.
On January 28,2008, it was reported that Antoine Bethea would be playing in the 2008 Pro Bowl.
21.
Antoine Bethea was originally chosen as a second alternate and was needed after injuries to safeties Troy Polamalu and Bob Sanders.
22.
Antoine Bethea finished the season with 101 combined tackles, four pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts.
23.
Antoine Bethea finished the 2009 season with 95 combined tackles, five pass deflections, and four interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts.
24.
On December 29,2009, it was announced that Antoine Bethea was voted to the 2010 Pro Bowl, marking the second selection of his career.
25.
Antoine Bethea held out of organized team activities and declined to sign their restricted free agent tender.
26.
Antoine Bethea finished with 107 combined tackles, five pass deflections, an interception, a forced fumble, and half a sack in 16 games and 16 starts.
27.
Head coach Jim Caldwell named Antoine Bethea the starting free safety to begin the regular season, along with strong safety Melvin Bullitt.
28.
Antoine Bethea finished the 2011 season with a career-high 139 combined tackles, seven pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in 16 games and 16 starts.
29.
Antoine Bethea sacked quarterback Blaine Gabbert for a one-yard loss in the fourth quarter.
30.
Antoine Bethea finished the 2012 season with 100 combined tackles, seven passes defensed, and a career-high two sacks in 16 games and 16 starts.
31.
Antoine Bethea entered training camp slated as the de facto starter at strong safety.
32.
Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky officially named Antoine Bethea the starting strong safety to start the regular season, opposite free safety LaRon Landry.
33.
Antoine Bethea finished his last season with the Indianapolis Colts with a total of 110 combined tackles, six pass deflections, an interception, and a sack in 16 games and 16 starts.
34.
Antoine Bethea became an unrestricted free agent in 2014 and drew interest from multiple teams, including the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, and Kansas City Chiefs.
35.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh named Antoine Bethea the starting strong safety to start the 2014 season, alongside free safety Eric Reid.
36.
Antoine Bethea's touchdown occurred in the second quarter and marked the first score of his career.
37.
On December 24,2014, it was announced that Antoine Bethea was selected to be an alternate for the 2015 Pro Bowl.
38.
Antoine Bethea finished his first season in San Francisco with 86 combined tackles, ten pass deflections, four interceptions, a forced fumble, and a touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts.
39.
On January 19,2015, Antoine Bethea was selected to replace Kam Chancellor in the 2015 Pro Bowl.
40.
Antoine Bethea finished the 2015 season with a total of 44 combined tackles, two passes defensed, and an interception in seven games and seven starts.
41.
Antoine Bethea started all 16 games in 2016 recording 110 combined tackles, three passes defensed, one forced fumble, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts.
42.
Antoine Bethea was surpassed on the depth chart by rookie first round pick Budda Baker after Tyvon Branch was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
43.
Antoine Bethea remained the backup strong safety behind Baker for the remainder of the season.
44.
On December 26,2017, the Arizona Cardinals placed Antoine Bethea on injured reserve after he tore his pectoral a muscle in Week 16.
45.
Antoine Bethea completed the 2017 season with 57 combined tackles, nine pass deflections, a career-high five interceptions, and a sack in 15 games and six starts.
46.
Antoine Bethea was named the Cardinals starting free safety, starting in all 16 games.
47.
Antoine Bethea finished the season with a team-leading 120 tackles, four pass deflections, and a career-high three sacks.
48.
On March 8,2019, Antoine Bethea was released by the Cardinals.
49.
On March 14,2019, Antoine Bethea signed with the New York Giants.
50.
On January 7,2021, Antoine Bethea announced his retirement, after playing for 14 seasons in the NFL.
51.
On June 28,2014, Antoine Bethea married Romantini at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC The pair have since had two sons, born in 2016 and 2019.
52.
Antoine Bethea attended Denbigh High School in Newport News, Virginia where he was a three-year letterman in football and lettered in basketball, where he earned all-area and All-conference honors in his senior year.
53.
In 2024, Antoine Bethea joined 51 other HBCU football alumni in endorsing Kamala Harris's campaign for president.