Darius Slay is an American professional player who plays a corner kick for the Detroit Lions. Slay has been spotting the #23 jersey with the Lions since they designed it in the 2013 National Football League (NFL) draft. Despite a slow start to his NFL career, he has consistently managed to become one of the most impressive cornerbacks in the league today. Want to know more about this focused young man who became a father at age 15? Then come with me.
Darius Slay Biography (Age)
Darius Demetrius Slay Jr. was born on New Year’s Day (January 1) 1991 in Brunswick, a town in Glynn County, Georgia. He had his high school education at Brunswick High School where he was a multisport athlete. He wrote and excelled in football, basketball and physical education. Regarding football, Slay played both as an offensive player (running back) and a defensive player (defensive back) and showed impressive performances in both positions. At the end of his senior year in high school (2008), he was crowned the top defensive tackle in the state of Georgia by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Slay, nicknamed Big Play Slay, played college football for two institutions, namely Itawamba Community College (2009 and 2010) and Mississippi State University (2011 and 2012). In college, he fully developed into a cornerback. In his two years at Mississippi State, he recorded 62 tackles (37 solo), 1 forced fumble, and 6 interceptions, which he returned for 173 yards and 1 touchdown.
NFL career
Darius Slay entered the 2013 NFL Draft and was selected in the 2ndRound by the Detroit Lions as a 36th overall pick this year. He’s been with the Lions ever since, and despite some injury woes, Big Play Slay has managed to garner a reputation as one of the most consistent and feared cornerbacks in the NFL. Undeniably, Slay’s best season to date was the 2017 season. He started all 16 games for the Lions and finished the season with 60 tackles (54 of which were solo), 26 passes defended and 8 interceptions, which he returned for 73 yards. He became the first Detroit Lions player since 2014 to have seven interceptions in a season and the first Lions cornerback since 1983. He also became the first NFL player since 2000 to record five tackles. Three-pass deflections and two stoppages in two different games in the same season. As a testament to the record-breaking season, Slay was named the top cornerback in the NFL (first-team All-Pro) and was also selected to the 2018 Pro Bowl. In over 79 Lions games, Slay has recorded 272 tackles (of which 234 were solo), 78 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 sack and 15 interceptions, which he returned for 158 yards.
Family: wife, son
Darius Slay is married to his long time girlfriend Jennifer Williams. She is from Clinton, Oklahoma, and the two reportedly started dating sometime in 2015. The lovely couple tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in Slay’s hometown of Braunschweig on June 16, 2018. Williams wore a stunning strapless gown for the ceremony, while Slay wore a gorgeous red suit. Like her husband, Williams is a gifted athlete who played basketball at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where she was a guard for four years.
The Slays have a lovingly blended family of six. It consists of Darion, the first son of Darius who was born when he was 15 years old. A second son, Demetrius Darius Slay, was born to him in 2015 by another lady, and Trent, William’s son from a previous relationship. The latest (but certainly not the least) child is Desirae, the couple’s first child together, who was born in February 2017.
Slay himself was born to young parents. His mother, Stephanie Lowe (née Walthour), was 13 when she gave birth to him, while his father, Darius Slay Sr., was 14. The soccer player credits his mother and grandmother for helping him overcome the challenges of fatherhood at a young age and empowering him to fulfill his dreams.salary
Currently, the Brunswick-born NFL star is one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league, averaging $12,037,500 annually. He currently has a four-year contract with the Detroit Lions valued at $48,150,000. The deal, signed in 2016, includes a $14,500,000 signing bonus and a $23,100,000 guarantee.
height and weight
Slay is exactly 6 feet tall or 1.83 m and weighs 86 kg. Although he doesn’t have a massive physique, he still has a good build for the position he plays. Both a physical attacker and a hard worker, Darius is very good at creating problems for wide receivers and quarterbacks, a fact that both Tom Brady and Carson Wentz can attest to.
