Sergio Brown

He was evaluated as a three-star recruit and ranked 32nd nationally at his position by Rivals.com, while 247Sports ranked him as the 31st best safety recruit in the nation.

He ended his senior season with a total of 49 combined tackles, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles, leading the FBS Independent conference in forced fumbles and achieving a 10th place ranking in solo tackles with a total of 37.

Sergio Brown (born May 22, 1988) is an American former professional football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons.

Sergio Brown was born on May 22, 1988 in Maywood, Illinois to Myrtle Simmons and Mario Brown.

His father was the first African-American basketball player at Texas A&M.

His older brother, Nick, was a USA Junior National Champion in track and field and competed at the University of Illinois.

Brown attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, where he starred in football, basketball, and track and field.

He played wide receiver, safety, quarterback, placekicker, and punter for Proviso alongside future professional basketball player Brian Carlwell.

As a senior, he recorded eight touchdowns as a receiver, five interceptions for touchdown returns as a safety, and was named a Second Team All-State defensive pick by the Chicago Tribune.

Brown was also a standout track and field athlete.

In his senior year, he was a state qualifier in the long jump, achieving a career-best leap of 21 feet, 9 inches and recorded a 4.38 second 40-yard dash.

Brown did not initially attract much attention from recruiters; by the end of May 2005, he had not received a scholarship offer.

However, following an impressive performance at a Nike combine in Michigan, Brown received offers from several Division I football programs, including Notre Dame, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Purdue.

On September 27, 2005, Brown committed to Notre Dame.

As a true freshman at Notre Dame, Brown played in eleven of twelve games as a substitute strong safety and gunner.

For the 2006 season, he recorded a total of three solo tackles and one assisted tackle over three games against Georgia Tech, Stanford, and Air Force.

As a sophomore, Brown remained a substitute, playing in nine games as the team finished with a record low 3-9 win–loss record.

He recorded four solo and three assisted tackles for a total of seven over six games against Georgia Tech, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, Boston College, and USC.

Brown was promoted to starting nickel back safety in his junior season, and played in all twelve regular season games.

In his first career start against San Diego State, Brown made a season-high six total tackles and deflected two passes in a 21-13 victory.

The Fighting Irish improved their record from the previous year, finishing with a balanced 6-6 record.

Brown was a reserve for his first two seasons before being named a starter in his junior year, where he appeared in 13 games including a victory against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl.

In his senior season, he led all FBS Independent schools in forced fumbles.

This performance secured them an invitation to play in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl, where they achieved a decisive 49-21 victory over the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.

During the game, Brown contributed with six individual tackles, one pass deflection, and a blocked punt.

Over thirteen games, Brown logged 21 solo and seven assisted tackles for a total of 28 tackles, averaging over 2 tackles per game.

He led FBS Independent schools in pass deflections, with six total for the 2008 season.

In his last season at Notre Dame, Brown had a standout season, starting in all twelve games as a member of the team's leadership committee.

In a November 7 game against the Navy Midshipmen, Brown achieved a career-high of 9 total tackles.

He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent after the 2010 NFL Draft.

He was also a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Buffalo Bills.

Brown attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, where he played as a wide receiver and defensive end.

Following high school, he chose to play college football for the University of Notre Dame after receiving scholarship offers from several major Division I programs.

After going undrafted in the following year's draft, Brown signed with the Patriots in April 2010.

Brown signed with the New England Patriots on April 25, 2010 as an undrafted free agent.

He retired from professional football after the 2016 NFL season.

In September 2023, Brown was reported missing after his mother was found dead outside of her home; he was later located in Mexico.

During the period of his disappearance, Brown posted several cryptic messages on social media.

In October 2023, Brown was apprehended by Mexican authorities.

He was later deported to the United States and arrested on charges of first-degree murder and concealing a homicide.