Donte Demetrius Whitner (born July 24, 1985) is an American football strong safety for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills eighth overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State. Whitner has also played for the San Francisco 49ers.
Contents
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Early years 1
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Professional career 2
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Buffalo Bills 2.1
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San Francisco 49ers 2.2
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Cleveland Browns 2.3
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NFL stats 2.4
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References 3
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External links 4
Early years
Whitner was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He is the older brother of former Connecticut Huskies defensive end Lindsey Witten. He attended Glenville High School in Cleveland. After his senior high school football season he was invited to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl game. He attended Ohio State, not finishing his degree, and then enrolling at San Jose State University.[2]
When Whitner was six years old he was hit by an oncoming car after chasing a loose football down the street. He had up to 30 fractures in his legs from the impact and was told that he might not be able to walk again. The oncoming car suffered significant body damage. He spent three months in a full body cast but recovered.[3]
Professional career
Buffalo Bills
Whitner was drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the eighth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. In his first career game, he recorded his first career interception against Tom Brady. The ruling on the field was a touchdown, but was later overruled when replay showed that Whitner had stepped out of bounds. He finished 2006 with 104 total tackles and one interception for 10 yards. In 2009, Whitner recorded his first career touchdown on a 76-yard interception return from Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Byron Leftwich in Week 2. His most productive game to date was in Week 12 of the 2010 season, where he recorded 18 total tackles against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
San Francisco 49ers
Whitner in 2013.
On August 4, 2011, Whitner signed with the San Francisco 49ers. After previously announcing on Twitter that he would be going to the Cincinnati Bengals, he changed his mind and signed with San Francisco. He agreed to a three-year, $11.75 million deal with $4 million guaranteed. After his performance in his first year as a 49er, he was named to the USA Today All Joe Team[4]During the 2011 playoffs, Whitner became famous for making vicious hits like against New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas as he was driving for a touchdown. The hit forced a fumble recovered by the 49ers and took Thomas out for the rest of the game.
In 2013, in a game against the St. Louis Rams, Whitner was fined for a hit on receiver Chris Givens. In response to the fine, he indicated that he would be legally changing his last name from "Whitner" to "Hitner", dropping the "W" from his surname.[5] In an appearance on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access" on November 27, 2013, Whitner indicated that his request was to be processed on November 19, but had to be withdrawn when he was unable to honor the judge's requirement that he appear in court. During the same interview, Whitner indicated that he would pursue his name change during the offseason.[6]
Cleveland Browns
Whitner signed a four-year deal worth $28 million with the Cleveland Browns on March 11, 2014.[7]
NFL stats
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Year
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Team
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GP
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COMB
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TOTAL
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AST
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SACK
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FF
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FR
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FR YDS
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INT
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IR YDS
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AVG IR
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LNG
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TD
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PD
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|
2006
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BUF
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15
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104
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67
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37
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0.0
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0
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0
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0
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1
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10
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10
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10
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0
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5
|
|
2007
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BUF
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15
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89
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68
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21
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0.0
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1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
29
|
29
|
29
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0
|
1
|
|
2008
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BUF
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13
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61
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50
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11
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1.0
|
1
|
0
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0
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0
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0
|
0
|
0
|
0
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1
|
|
2009
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BUF
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10
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57
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42
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15
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0.0
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0
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0
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0
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2
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104
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52
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76
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1
|
5
|
|
2010
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BUF
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16
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140
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96
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44
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0.5
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
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37
|
37
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37
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0
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7
|
|
2011
|
SF
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15
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62
|
49
|
13
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0.0
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1
|
3
|
3
|
2
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48
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24
|
48
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0
|
10
|
|
2012
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SF
|
16
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83
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62
|
21
|
0.0
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
42
|
42
|
42
|
1
|
5
|
|
2013
|
SF
|
16
|
73
|
58
|
15
|
0.0
|
2
|
1
|
-5
|
2
|
7
|
4
|
7
|
0
|
12
|
|
Career
|
|
116
|
669
|
492
|
177
|
1.5
|
8
|
6
|
0
|
10
|
277
|
28
|
76
|
2
|
46
|
[8]
Key
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GP: games played
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COMB: combined tackles
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TOTAL: total tackles
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AST: assisted tackles
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SACK: sacks
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FF: forced fumbles
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FR: fumble recoveries
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FR YDS: fumble return yards
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INT: interceptions
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IR YDS: interception return yards
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AVG IR: average interception return
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LNG: longest interception return
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TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
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PD: passes defensed
References
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^ [3]
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^ [4]
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^ http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2009-01-20-all-joe-team_N.htm
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^ Rosenthal, Gregg (October 2, 2013). "'"Donte Whitner says he's changing last name to 'Hitner.
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^ "'"San Francisco 49ers safety Donte Whitner: 'We feel like it's our time.
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^ Karlos Dansby, Donte Whitner lead Cleveland Browns' free-agent crop
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^ "Donte Whitner Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
External links
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Cleveland Browns bio
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San Francisco 49ers bio
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Donte Whitner on Twitter
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Donte Whitner's Official Yardbarker Blog
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Active roster
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AFC East
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NFC East
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