Preston Parker

Preston Parker (born February 13, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and North Alabama Lions.

Early life Parker graduated from Atlantic Community High School in 2006. PrepStar Magazine awarded him All-American honors following his senior season. After catching 45 passes for 1,150 yards with 11 touchdowns as a senior, The Florida Sports Writers Association selected Parker to the All-State first team in Class 5A. Rivals.com ranked him as the No. 12 wide receiver and gave him four stars. In 2006, on the Preseason Florida Top 100, Rivals also listed him as the second ranked wide receiver as well as the number 18th ranked overall player in the state of Florida. He played in 10 games and made eight starts. Even though he missed two games versus Western Carolina and UTC, Parker led all of the wide receivers with 40 catches and was also second on the team with 372 yards. In the last seven regular season games of the 2008 season he caught 34 passes which were twice as many as any other wide receiver on the team. In four of the last seven regular season games he had 50 yards or more receiving and averaged almost five catches per game after the win at NC State. In a win over Clemson, he recorded 169 all-purpose yards and 127 all-purpose yards in a loss at Georgia Tech.

Legal troubles

Throughout his career at Florida State, Parker gathered numerous charges. In November 2006, he was arrested after Tallahassee police said he tried to steal a DVD. He entered a diversionary program and the charge was later dismissed. In April 2008, he was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed firearm (felony) and possession of marijuana (misdemeanor).

In January 2009, Parker was arrested for DUI after police found him passed out behind the wheel of his car. His blood alcohol content was 0.054, which is well below the Florida legal limit of 0.08. Police said a urine sample was a "presumptive positive" for marijuana. Police also stated that Parker admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana the night before. With this being his third arrest, he was dismissed from the team.

He made the team after performing well during the preseason. He garnered very little playing time and caught four passes in 9 games played. In his second year with the team, he gained 554 yards and scored 3 touchdowns. In 2012, he signed an exclusive rights deal, worth $540K for 1 year. On Thursday, September 20, 2012, he was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the signing of Tiquan Underwood.

New Orleans Saints On January 3, 2013, the New Orleans Saints signed Parker to a futures contract. Although he performed well in training camp as both wide receiver and kick returner (including two touchdown catches in a preseason game against Kansas City), Parker was released on August 31, 2013, as part of the team's final preseason cuts.

New York Giants New York Giants signed Preston on January 7, 2014. Parker had 36 catches for 418 yards and two touchdowns on the year. He also contributed to special teams as a returner. He was released by the Giants on September 22, 2015, after a series of crucial dropped passes in multiple games.