Former ASU, NFL player appears in court
Shante Carver accused of drug possession
An Arizona State Sun Devils football star who went on to play four seasons for the Dallas Cowboys made his initial appearance in Yuma Justice Court Monday afternoon on drug-related charges, following his arrest over the weekend.
With defense attorney Jerry Hernandez standing by his side, 47-yearold Shante Carver listened as Yuma Justice of the Peace Greg Stewart read the charges he had been arrested for — which were possession or use of a narcotic drug and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Stewart also explained to Carver that he would be returning to court on Wednesday, at which time he would be informed if a criminal complaint had been filed against him, charging him with any offenses.
Instead of setting bail Judge Stewart released Carver on his own recognizance, but not without warning him that if he did not appear for his next hearing a warrant would likely be issued for his arrest.
Carver, who appeared in custody, was arrested Sunday at the Yuma Sector Border Patrol Immigration Checkpoint on Interstate 8 near Milemarker 17.
A former defensive end, Carver was the 23rd overall pick in the 1st round of the NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Over a four-year career, from 1994–1997, he recorded 11.5 sacks and won a Super Bowl ring.
Primarily a backup in his first three seasons, Carver worked his way into the starting lineup in 1997, when he recorded six of his 11.5 career sacks.
After the NFL, Carver played briefly for the Dallas Desperados in the Arena Football League and was a member of the Memphis Maniax in the only year of the XFL’s existence.
Carver was a three-year starter at ASU. According to azcentral, he recorded double-figure sacks in each of his collegiate seasons: 10 as a freshman, 11 as a sophomore, 10 as a junior and 10 as a senior. He had 20-ormore quarterback pressures and was named the team defensive MVP, in all but his freshman year.
He had a dominant senior year in which he was nicknamed “Shante’s Inferno” according to Inside the Star blog, leading his team in tackles (79) (from his defensive end position), tackles for loss (17), and sacks (10.0). He broke the school career record with 41 career sacks, that was eventually broken by Terrell Suggs.
In 2012, Carver was inducted into the Arizona State University Sports Hall of Fame.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Carver has been the head coach of a semi pro football team in the Phoenix area named the Westside Monsoon since 2009.