Colt Lyerla

Colt Keliikoa Lyerla (born November 13, 1992) is a former American arena football wide receiver and convicted felon. He played tight end at the University of Oregon for the Ducks but left in October 2013 due to personal reasons. He signed with the Green Bay Packers after going undrafted during the 2014 NFL Draft. He was a member of the Arizona Rattlers and Portland Steel of the Arena Football League. He also played for AS Carcassonne in the Elite One Championship rugby league.[1]

Colt Lyerla
Lyerla in 2013
Free agent
Position:Tight End
Personal information
Born: (1992-11-13) November 13, 1992
Hillsboro, Oregon
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school:Hillsboro (OR)
College:Oregon
Undrafted:2014
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com
Career Arena statistics
Receptions:2
Receiving yards:8
Receiving TDs:1
Tackles:1.5
Player stats at ArenaFan.com

Early life

Lyerla was born in Hillsboro, Oregon, on November 13, 1992, to Roger and Tammy Lyerla, with the family later moving to Hawaii and then Vancouver, Washington.[2][3][4] His parents divorced in 2001, and he moved to Gladstone, Oregon, before moving back to Hillsboro in 2003.[2] In Hillsboro, he attended Hillsboro High School, where he played both football and basketball for the Spartans.[2][5] On the football team he played both ways as a running back on offense and linebacker on defense, winning a state championship in 2009.[2][6] That season, he was named as The Oregonian's top offensive player at the 5A classification after he ran for 1,543 yards with 26 touchdowns, along with 843 yards and 13 touchdowns receiving as a junior.[7][8][9]

During the 2009 season he caught a 61-yard Hail Mary pass at the end of the game against rival Glencoe High School to win the game;[9] the play made ESPN's SportsCenter as the play of the week.[10] The next year as a senior, he rushed for 1,519 yards on 133 carries[11][12] and was selected as a first team all-state selection by The Oregonian as a running back, and second team as a linebacker.[13] Lyerla was recruited by teams such as the Southern California Trojans, the California Bears, the Miami Hurricanes, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Oklahoma Sooners, and the Texas Longhorns,[2][7][14] but committed to the University of Oregon while at the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[15] Lyerla had garnered recruiting attention prior to his junior year after performing well during summer recruiting camps,[16] and had offers from over 30 schools before making his commitment.[9]

College years

Lyerla graduated early from high school and enrolled at Oregon in the spring of 2011 so he could take part in spring practices.[2] During the team's spring game he had three catches for 37 yards while playing tight end.[17] As a true freshman for the 2011 season, he played tight end and caught 7 passes for 147 yards and 5 touchdowns.[18][19][20]

For the 2012 season, Lyerla earned the starting tight end position, and part-way into the season also saw playing time at the running back position.[21][22] Lyerla finished the season with 25 receptions for 392 yards and 6 touchdowns, and also rushed for 77 yards and 1 touchdown.[23]

During the 2013 season Lyerla missed a game against Tennessee and was then suspended for the game against Colorado before quitting the team on October 6, 2013.[24] He ended the season with 3 runs for 17 yards, including a touchdown, and 2 receptions for 26 yards in two games.[24]

Professional career

National Football League

Lyerla went undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers on May 19, 2014 as an undrafted free agent.[25] On August 2, 2014 at the Packers annual Family Night practice Lyerla tore the posterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his right knee when trying to hurdle a defender during a non-contact practice.[26] Initially placed on the Packers injured reserve list, Lyerla was waived with an injury settlement on August 26, 2014 that paid him through Week 8 of the season.

Arena Football League

On November 5, 2015, Lyerla signed with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League for the 2016 Arena Football League season.[27] On March 11, 2016, Lyerla was traded to the Portland Steel for Jordan Mudge.

Controversies

In March 2013, Lyerla tweeted in support of a conspiracy theory that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was part of a government conspiracy to advance gun control policies. The tweet was denounced by the University of Oregon as "insensitive and offensive."[28] Lyerla later apologized.[29]

After leaving the Oregon Ducks during the 2013 season, Lyerla was arrested and later pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of cocaine.[30]

Lyerla was arrested on Saturday September 6, 2014, at 2:52 a.m. for driving under the influence (DUI). The DUI was for impairment not related to alcohol.[31][32] On August 28, 2016, Lyerla was arrested in Tigard, Oregon, for possession of heroin.[33] He pleaded guilty to first- and second-degree forgery, and was sentenced to six months in prison.[34] Lyerla escaped custody on May 5, 2017.[35]

Lyerla was sentenced on November 19, 2019 to 27 months in the Oregon State Penitentiary after pleading guilty to charges of coercion, fourth-degree assault, unlawful possession of heroin and strangulation in Lane County Circuit Court.[36]

References
  1. "C'est reparti pour l'ASC XIII". LaDepeche.fr (in French). July 29, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  2. Fentress, Aaron (September 28, 2012). "Oregon's Colt Lyerla, with help of Hillsboro Spartans family, overcomes childhood trials". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  3. "#15 Colt Lyerla". Ducks Football. University of Oregon. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  4. "Colt Lyerla Profile". Scout.com. Microsoft. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  5. Ruder, Ian (December 15, 2009). "2009-10 boys basketball preview: Jesuit, Jefferson sit at top of talented crop of contenders". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  6. Christensen, Nick (December 12, 2009). "Hilhi wins first state championship since 1973". The Hillsboro Argus. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  7. Beseda, Jim (September 8, 2010). "Colt Lyerla putting recruiting decisions on back burner". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  8. Ulmer, Jerry (December 23, 2009). "Colt Lyerla, Joe Ashby, Ken Ingram -- Hillsboro sweeps top 5A all-state awards". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  9. Glicksman, Ben (December 7, 2010). "Hillsboro (Ore.) High's Colt Lyerla is Mr. Versatility". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  10. Binder, Doug (October 5, 2009). "Colt Lyerla on stunning play: 'It was a dream come true. ... I'm so thankful.'". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  11. Schnell, Lindsay (January 27, 2011). "Countdown to Signing Day: Oregon commit Colt Lyerla". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  12. "Lyerla getting looks because of versatility". The Seattle Times. The Associated Press. August 30, 2010. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  13. "Football: The Oregonian Class 6A all-state team". The Oregonian. December 29, 2010. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  14. Beseda, Jim (November 22, 2010). "Colt Lyerla recruiting: Hillsboro's senior makes informal visit to Oregon". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  15. Newberg, Jamie (January 8, 2011). "Brent Calloway's choice creates a buzz". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  16. Hester, Mark (August 6, 2009). "Hillsboro's Colt Lyerla rises to top of 2011 football recruiting lists". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  17. Hunt, John (April 30, 2011). "Oregon football: Colt Lyerla's studying pays off in Spring Game". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  18. Sowa, Jesse (September 15, 2012). "UO football notebook: Lyerla often finds his way to the end zone". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  19. "Stats". Colt Lyerla. ESPN.com. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  20. Morgan, Craig (August 14, 2012). "Oregon TE Colt Lyerla returns to practice, competition still wide open". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  21. Fentress, Aaron (September 24, 2012). "Oregon Ducks tight end Colt Lyerla embraces new backfield role". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  22. Moseley, Rob (September 24, 2012). "Colt Lyerla revs up the horsepower for now No. 2 Ducks". The Register-Guard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  23. "Colt Lyerla". College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  24. Quick, Jason (October 6, 2013). "Oregon Ducks football: TE Colt Lyerla is leaving the Ducks football program for 'personal reasons'". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  25. "Packers sign draft pick, three tryout players". Packers.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  26. Demovsky, Rob (August 19, 2014). "Packers to waive rookie Colt Lyerla". ESPN. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  27. "Rattlers Acquire Ten Players as Free Agency Begins".
  28. Brown, McKenna (March 21, 2013). "UO footballer Colt Lyerla tweets controversial conspiracy theory about Sandy Hook shooting". Daily Emerald. Archived from the original on August 30, 2013.
  29. Jude, Adam (April 6, 2013). "Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla apologizes for Twitter controversy". The Oregonian.
  30. "Colt Lyerla pleads guilty to unlawful possession of cocaine". The Oregonian. December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  31. Press Release: News Release from Washington Co. Sheriff's Office Posted on FlashAlert: September 7, 2014 4:34 PM
  32. Harbarger, Molly (September 7, 2014). "Colt Lyerla arrested in Washington County on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs". The Oregonian. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  33. Brown, Tim (August 29, 2016). "Colt Lyerla arrested for heroin possession in Washington County". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  34. The Associated Press (April 20, 2017). "Ex-Ducks tight end Colt Lyerla jailed for forgery". Koin.com. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  35. Washington County Sheriff's Office. "Colt Lyerla escapes county custody; warrant issued for arrest". OregonLive.com. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  36. https://www.registerguard.com/news/20191119/former-oregon-ducks-football-player-sentenced-to-more-than-2-years-in-prison |publisher=The Register Guard |accessdate=November 19, 2019
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