March 7, 2003
East Rutherford, N.J. - The New York Giants announced today that they have released defensive back Jason Sehorn, who spent the last nine years with the team.
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"Jason Sehorn had some magical moments with the Giants, particularly during the 2000 postseason run to the Super Bowl. We wish him well."
- GM Ernie Accorsi |
Sehorn joined the Giants as a second-round draft choice in 1994 (59th overall) after a two-year career at the University of Southern California. He has started 72 of the 117 games in which he's played. Sehorn's 19 regular season interceptions are the 12th-highest total in franchise history. He returned four of them for touchdowns. He also has four postseason interceptions, including one in the NFC Wild Card Game at San Francisco last season.
In his career, Sehorn has been credited with 358 solo tackles and 64 assists for 422 total tackles, 83 passes defensed, 10 forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
"Jason Sehorn had some magical moments with the Giants," said general manager Ernie Accorsi, "particularly during the 2000 postseason run to the Super Bowl. We wish him well."
Added head coach Jim Fassel, "At many times throughout his career, Jason was an outstanding player for us. He played an integral part in our successes here. The interception he made against Philly in the 2000 playoffs will always stand as one of the greatest individual athletic plays I have ever seen. All good things come to an end, and I wish Jason nothing but the best."
In 2002, Sehorn played a full 16-game schedule for the first time since 1997. He played primarily as a nickel cornerback, though he did start four games because of injuries to starting corners Will Allen and William Peterson. Sehorn led the Giants with 14 passes defensed, tied Peterson and Shaun Williams for the team lead with two interceptions (including a 31-yard touchdown at St. Louis) and had 42 solo tackles and 10 assists.
Sehorn was a reserve and special teams player his first two seasons. In 1996, he became the starting right cornerback and one of the Giants finest defensive players. He started 15 games that season and led the team with five interceptions, including a 23-yard touchdown in the season finale against New England.
The following season, Sehorn started all 16 games for the only time in his career. He had a career-high six interceptions, plus 86 total tackles and 20 passes defensed. He was twice named NFC Defensive Player of the Week and December's NFC Defensive Player of the Month as he helped lead the Giants to the NFC East championship.
Sehorn missed the entire 1998 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament and the medial collateral ligament in his right knee while returning the opening kickoff in a preseason game against the Jets on Aug. 20. The ACL was repaired in surgery performed on Sept. 18.
Sehorn returned to play and start in 10 games in 1999. He missed the first two games of the season because of a pulled hamstring suffered in an offseason workout and the final four games because of a fractured left fibula suffered against the Jets on Dec. 5. Sehorn finished with 45 total tackles and one interception.
In 2000, Sehorn played and started in 14 games, missing two because of a fractured rib and a sprained sterno-clavicular joint suffered when intercepting a pass in the first period against Dallas on Oct. 15. He had 77 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high 17 passes defensed. In the NFC Championship Game, he held Minnesota's Randy Moss to just two receptions for 18 yards and intercepted Daunte Culpepper in the end zone on the Vikings final possession. In the NFC Divisional Playoff victory over Philadelphia, Sehorn made one of the most memorable interceptions in Giants history when he dove for a Donovan McNabb pass to Torrance Small in the second quarter. Sehorn was unable to catch the ball when he first touched it but tipped it into the air, jumped off the ground, caught the ball and raced 32 yards into the end zone to give the Giants a 17-0 lead. He also demonstrated a flair for the dramatic in the regular season finale against Jacksonville (12/23), grabbing an onside kick and racing 38 yards to the end zone, the third-shortest kickoff return for a touchdown in NFL history.
In 2001, Sehorn started all 13 games in which he played at right cornerback. He missed one game while recuperating from knee surgery and two with a sprained ankle. Sehorn led the Giants with 16 passes defensed and tied for second on the team with three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
NOTE: The Giants report to training camp at the University at Albany on Thursday, July 24. The first practice session of training camp will be on Friday, July 25.
