Derrick Mason

Derrick James Mason (born January 17, 1974 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American football wide receiver who played for the Baltimore Ravens and went to Michigan State. On July 13th 2009, he announced he would be retiring, but he has not officially retired. Mason announced to http://fantasyfootballtalk.net that he is "99 percent" sure that he would be retiring.

BREAKING NEWS

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has been trading text messages with wideout Derrick Mason this week amid Mason’s abrupt and unexpected retirement.

According to Harbaugh, who is on vacation, the two have plans to meet soon to discuss the future of Baltimore’s leading receiver.

“We have an appointment to talk real soon, either by phone or when I get back next week,” Harbaugh said Wednesday via conference call. “It’ll be interesting to see where he’s at with everything. I know he’s gone through a lot in the last couple weeks with Steve’s [McNair] situation and those kinds of things. But I’m looking forward to talking to him.”

Harbaugh said he took the news of Mason’s announcement, which first appeared Monday on a Web site registered to his agent, C. Lamont Smith, in stride when it caught much of the NFL world by surprise.

There has been much speculation as to why Mason did, in fact, make his decision.

McNair, one of Mason’s closest friends, was shot and killed on July 4, and Mason spoke at a memorial service honoring the former Ravens and Tennessee Titans quarterback in Nashville.

Mason, 35, also is attempting to recover from a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery.

But even as Mason denies that money is an issue, he did publicly lobby for a contract extension earlier in the offseason.

“I have been thinking about this since the season ended,” Mason said in a statement. “Emotionally I am just not that enthused. I have not been that enthused to get up and work out…it was getting to that point. This decision has nothing to do with the contract situation; I have made enough money, more than enough money. Emotionally there are things that are more important. It’s time right now.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen from here, but it’s going to be really nice to see what life has in store for me.”

The next step for Harbaugh and the Ravens is to identify if Mason will be in a Ravens uniform next year.

If not, the contingency plans include keeping the roster as it currently stands, trade for a marquee receiver or add a veteran free agent.

“We know who’s out there at every single position, and we’re always working the roster,” Harbaugh noted. “So, obviously if Derrick does retire, that’s going to perk us up even more as far as strengthening that position like we will any position. But, you can only do so much. There are only so many guys out there available, and a lot of what we do is developing the players that we have. We think we have good players here, too.

“I just think there’s a lot of time to go between now and when training camp starts, and of course between now and when the season starts. Derrick Mason is a warrior, he’s a tremendous family man, he has good relationships with everybody inside the building. I’m just looking forward to seeing how this goes.” http://www.baltimoreravens.com

Early years

Mason attended Mumford High School in Detroit, Michigan. He set a school record for both catches (70) and receiving yards (1,243).

College career

Mason played college football at Michigan State. During his four year career, he set a team record for kick off return yards of 2,384. He also caught eight touchdowns. He majored in communications.

Professional career

Tennessee Oilers/Titans

Mason started his career with the Oilers/Titans after being drafted in the 4th round (98th overall) in the 1997 NFL Draft. In his rookie season he played in 16 games recording 14 catches for 186 yards. He made his NFL debut versus the Oakland Raiders on August 31. The following season he again played in all 16 games and this time recording 25 catches for 333 yards and three touchdowns, the first of his career came versus the Chicago Bears on October 25. He also returned 31 punts for 228 yards. In the 1999 season,Mason gained 1,030 yards returning punts and kickoffs, assisting the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV where he returned 5 kickoffs for 122 yards and caught 2 passes for 18 yards in Tennessee's 23–16 loss. He also returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown in the Titans 33-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC title game. In the 2000 season, he led the NFL in punt return yards (662) while also catching 63 passes for 895 yards and returning 41 kickoffs for 1,132 yards (an NFL leading 27 yards per return average), giving him 2,659 combined receiving and special teams yards, an NFL record for highest total of all-purpose yards in a single season. He is only the second player in Titans history to pass the 2,000 yard mark. He earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl. In 2001, he started 15 games and scored 9 touchdowns, a career high. Just as he had done the previous season, he went past the 2,000 all purpose yards mark, the first Titan to do this in consecutive seasons. The following season he started in 14 games and led the team in a number of categories including receptions, reception yards and touchdowns. In 2003, he started all 15 games and finished the season with 1,303 receiving yards and 95 receptions which was the 5th highest in the NFL. The following season, in 2004, he again started all 16 games and was ranked 2nd in the NFL with 96 receptions for 1,168 yards and seven touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens

Mason signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an unrestricted free agent on March 7, 2005. In his first year with the team, he started in all 16 games and recorded 86 receptions, a Ravens franchise season record. In 2006, he played in 16 games with 15 starts and finished the campaign with 68 receptions for 750 yards and two touchdowns. Mason caught the pass that gave Steve McNair 30,000 passing yards for his career in the 19-7 win in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills. The following year, Mason had 103 receptions for 1087 yards and five touchdowns. Mason became the first player in Ravens history to record 100 receptions^[1]. In 2008, Mason was selected as a third alternate wide receiver for the Pro Bowl.In 2008, he had 80 receptions for 1037 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. He was the primary target for rookie quarterback Joe Flacco.Mason dislocated the shoulder when he fell after a catch in the game against the Houston Texans coming back to finish the contest. Mason also played with a shoulder he separated against the Giants^[2],Mason re-aggravated of his injury against Dallas^[3],but he finished the game with with six catches for 66 yards and one touchdown. He led the team with a postseason career-­high 12 receptions for 190 yards, including a postseason career ­long 48­ yard touchdown reception .

He is said to have retired from the NFL on July 13, 2009^[4]. Nothing is official so he is still a contracted Raven, but according to http://fantasyfootballtalk.net, Mason is "99 percent" sure that he is going to retire.

Personal

Mason and his wife, Marci were married on June 7, 1997 and have 2 children: daughter, Bailee My-Lin (3-24-1999), and son, Derrick II (7-11-2003)^[5]. Marci is the "The Derrick Mason Foundation" organization’s vice president.One of the most cherished items is a pair of Muhammad Ali boxing gloves, which he purchased at an auction for his son, Derrick II^[6]

References

External links

• http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1816
• Ravens Player Bio
• Derrick Mason Blog
• Derrick Mason's Yahoo Sports Profile