Fred Bennett

Frederick Bennett (born December 31, 1983) is an American former professional football defensive back. He was selected by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football at the University of South Carolina.

Bennett was also a member of the San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Early life Bennett played high school football at Manning High School in South Carolina. He played football, basketball, and ran track. He was also selected to participate in the 2001 Shrine Bowl.

College career Bennett played college football at the University of South Carolina. He finished his career with 108 tackles, nine interceptions, and was a two-time All-American selection.

Professional career

Houston Texans Bennett was drafted by the Houston Texans with the 123rd overall pick in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft. He replaced the injured Dunta Robinson in his rookie season, recording 62 tackles and intercepting three passes.

San Diego Chargers After being waived in August 2010, he was claimed by the Chargers and spent the first four games of the 2010 season as a backup and special teams player.

Cincinnati Bengals After being cut by San Diego, Bennett was claimed on November 23, 2010, by the Cincinnati Bengals to replace injured cornerback Johnathan Joseph. Bennett was released on August 27, 2011.

Arizona Cardinals On August 29, 2011, Bennett signed with the Arizona Cardinals. He was waived on September 2.

Calgary Stampeders On May 22, 2012, Bennett signed with the Calgary Stampeders. In his first three seasons in the CFL, Bennett totaled 129 tackles, five special teams tackles, nine interceptions and one fumble recovery. Bennett was named a 2014 West Division All-Star and won a Grey Cup later that season. On February 3, 2015, Bennett and the Stamps agreed to a contract extension.

Saskatchewan Roughriders On August 16, 2016, Bennett was traded, along with Jeff Hecht, to the Saskatchewan Roughriders for two negotiation-list players. He was released by the Roughriders on February 1, 2017.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2007 HOU 14 8 62 54 8 0.0 1 3 47 0 33 14 2 0 0 0 2008 HOU 16 6 43 35 8 0.0 0 2 26 0 23 6 2 0 0 0 2009 HOU 10 3 18 15 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2010 SDG 4 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CIN 5 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 49 17 125 106 19 0.0 1 5 73 0 33 21 4 1 0 0

Healthcare fraud case Bennett was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of health care fraud by the United States Department of Justice on December 12, 2019. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but changed his plea to guilty by December 2020. By February 2022, he had been sentenced to 180 days of house arrest and ordered to perform 240 hours of community service.