Scott Mersereau American football player
Scott Robert Mersereau born (April 8, 1965 in Riverhead, New York, United States) is a former defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He attended college at Southern Connecticut State University. He had played professionally for the New York Jets for 9 seasons beginning in 1987 Mersereau is most famous for a collision with teammate Dennis Byrd, in which Byrd was paralyzed from a neck injury during an NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs on November 29, 1992. During the play, Byrd rushed in an attempt to sack Chiefs quarterback Dave Krieg, but Krieg stepped up to avoid the tackle, and Byrd collided with Mersereau. Byrd ducked his head at the last moment before he collided with Mersereau's chest. The head-first collision resulted in a broken vertebra that left Byrd paralyzed and Mersereau with a permanent back injury. Byrd later recovered, but didn't play football again. Mersereau was also unable to play ball again after the incident, and his back injury prevents him from being able to lift even remotely heavy loads. He has since married and currently works as a financial advisor. Mersereau also coaches at Boca Raton Community high school football in his spare time.