Hollis Thomas

Hollis Thomas, Jr. (born January 10, 1974) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football at Northern Illinois.

Hollis Thomas
No. 78, 99, 75
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1974-01-10) January 10, 1974
Abilene, Texas
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:340 lb (154 kg)
Career information
High school:St. Charles (MO) Sumner
College:Northern Illinois
Undrafted:1996
Career history
As player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As coach:
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-Big West (1995)
  • Football News All-Rookie Team (1996)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:512
Sacks:20.0
Forced fumbles:8
Fumble recoveries:8
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Thomas also played for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

In 1996, Thomas went undrafted. He signed a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent. In his 10-year career with the Eagles he became a major part of their defense. After the Eagles drafted a young defensive tackle in Broderick Bunkley, the Eagles cut Thomas.

New Orleans Saints

Right after Thomas was cut by the Philadelphia Eagles, the Saints claimed him from the waivers. When healthy, Thomas was considered an important part of the Saints' defense, especially against running plays, and he was seen as playing a key role in the Saints' successful 2006 season, when they reached the NFC championship game for the first time in their history.[1]

On December 5, 2006 Thomas was suspended for four games by the NFL for violating the league's steroids policy. In Thomas' appeal, New Orleans team doctor John Amos said that Thomas' asthma medicine contained two steroids, creating a false positive. Thomas lost the appeal.

Thomas tore his right triceps on August 14, 2008 in a pass-rushing drill against a Houston Texans offensive lineman. He was later released on September 11 with an injury settlement. The Saints re-signed him on November 3.

On April 29, 2009 it was reported that the Saints had released Thomas.[1]

St. Louis Rams

On July 29, 2009 the St. Louis Rams signed Thomas. He was given a 1-year deal for an undisclosed amount.

Carolina Panthers

Thomas was signed by the Carolina Panthers on October 1, 2009 after the team waived defensive tackle Ra'Shon Harris. In a game against the Buffalo Bills on October 25, 2009, Thomas tackled Bills running back Fred Jackson in the end-zone for a safety.

References
  1. Mike Triplett, "New Orleans Saints release defensive tackle Hollis Thomas" Archived 2009-05-02 at the Wayback Machine, New Orleans Times-Picayune, April 29, 2009.
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