Kimo von Oelhoffen

The Cincinnati Bengals selected von Oelhoffen with the first pick of the sixth round of the 1994 NFL Draft.[2] In his first three seasons, he was largely a reserve, moving into the starting lineup in 1997. The next season, von Oelhoffen became a mainstay of the defensive line, starting every game and finishing second in tackles among defensive linemen.

After a strong 1999 season, where he recorded 24 tackles and four sacks, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an unrestricted free agent on a four-year $11 million contract.[3] Pittsburgh initially inserted him as the starting nose tackle and converted him to defensive end. Von Oelhoffen would start all but one game from the 2000-2005 seasons. He won a Super Bowl ring in 2005 in his final season as a Steeler.[4]

During the 2005 Wildcard Playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals, his former team, von Oelhoffen was involved in a controversial hit on Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer that occurred on the Bengals' second play from scrimmage and knocked Palmer out of the game with a severe knee injury. Von Oelhoffen, coming off a block set by guard Eric Steinbach, rolled into Palmer's left knee after Palmer released a pass 66 yards down field to wide receiver Chris Henry, who was also injured on the play.[5] The injury to Palmer was severe, including damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, and posterior cruciate ligament. MRIs later determined that Palmer's ACL, PCL, and MCL were all torn as a result of the hit. Cincinnati fans booed von Oelhoffen after watching the replays on the Jumbotron, thinking that a flag should have been thrown for a late hit or roughing the passer. However, no flag was thrown because the hit was deemed legal at the time.

Von Oelhoffen later apologized publicly for the hit rather than contact Palmer directly about the incident. Though Palmer confirmed that von Oelhoffen never contacted him personally to apologize, Palmer stated that the injury was "just part of the game."[6][7]

During the off-season, the NFL Rules Committee modified the rule regarding low hits on quarterbacks. The so-called "Kimo Clause" now requires that defenders take every opportunity to avoid hitting a quarterback at or below the knees when the quarterback is in a defenseless position looking to throw with both feet on the ground.[7]

For the 2006 season, von Oelhoffen signed with the New York Jets on a three-year $9.2 million deal. He spent one season with the Jets, viewed somewhat as a disappointment given his $3.2 million signing bonus.[8]

After being released by the Jets in training camp, von Oelhoffen signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. He would appear in eight games for them during that season. He was later released by the team. He has since retired from professional football.