Stu's Hunt Down: Former Vikings DE Erasmus James

Each week, commenter Stu tracks down a former Minnesota sports figure about whom you might have forgotten. Stu? ------------

The Hunt Down Name: Erasmus James Claim to Fame, Minnesota: when Minnesota traded up for Harrison Smith last Thursday, it marked the first time since 2005 that the Vikings had two first-round picks. As noted by the legion of fatalistic Purple fans that are out there, that draft gave us the immortal Troy Williamson and, with the 18^th pick overall, Erasmus James. (Note: Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman gave the Vikings an "A" for that draft.) Compiled 28 tackles and 4 sacks in his rookie season, tore his ACL against Carolina the second week of the 2006 season, and played just six more games in 2007 before another ACL tear. Was traded to Washington in 2008 for a conditional 7^th-round draft pick. Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: played five games for Washington in 2008, and that was the end of James' NFL career. Was allegedly suspended indefinitely by the NFL in September 2009, per this Pro Football Talk report. Two months later, he was arrested after a scuffle in a Madison bar. He had a much better run in Madison when he played for the University of Wisconsin, where he collected First-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior. Where He Is Now: James signed with your New Mexico Stars of the IFL in January; however, a scan of the current roster shows no sign of James. In March, he was declared a felon by the state of Wisconsin for his failure to attend a court-mandated anger management program that was part of his plea deal for the bar fight episode. Is He On Twitter: No. Glorious Randomness: the Vikings selected Williamson ahead of Antrel Rolle, DeMarcus Ware and Shawne Merriman, and chose both Williamson and James ahead of Aaron Rodgers and Roddy White. And a well-respected football lifer like Zimmerman gave them a premium grade for their work. Nobody knows anything. Always remember this.