Aaron Rouse

Last updated

34+3⁄4 in
(0.88 m)
Aaron Rouse
Aaron Rouse with Miss Virginia and Miss Virginia's Teen(cropped).png
Member of the Virginia Senate
Assumed office
January 18, 2023		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		4.53 s1.53 s2.60 s4.19 s6.81 s35.0 in
(0.89 m)		10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)		16 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day [6] [7]

Rouse entered the 2007 NFL Draft as one of the top prospects at safety with his unmatched combination of size, strength and speed. At 6'4, 223 pounds, he ran 4.59 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. [4] While his physical attributes impressed scouts, his lackluster senior season drastically reduced his draft stock; Rouse was projected by many as a late first-round to second-round draft pick.

Green Bay Packers

Rouse (middle) during pre-game warm-ups PackersSecondary-Edit.jpg
Rouse (middle) during pre-game warm-ups

The Green Bay Packers selected Rouse in the third round (89th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. [8] On June 8, he signed a four-year, $2.3 million contract with the Packers. [9]

After an injury to starting safety Nick Collins, Rouse made his first NFL start on November 11, during a 34–0 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. On November 18, Rouse recorded his first interception, when he picked off a Vinny Testaverde pass on Carolina Panthers' opening possession in a 31–17 victory over the Panthers. The following week, in a 37–26 win over the Detroit Lions, Rouse recorded his second career interception in just his second career start. [10] He was nominated for the week 12 Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week award for his performance against the Detroit Lions where he made a key game-changing interception against fellow rookie Calvin Johnson. He finished his rookie campaign with 25 total tackles (22 solo tackles, two assists), four pass deflections and two interceptions while playing in 11 total games, starting in three of them. Rouse helped Green Bay win the 2007 NFC North division championship. The Packers finished the season losing to the New York Giants 23–20 in the NFC championship game, missing out on going to Super Bowl XLII.

Rouse entered the 2008 season as the backup strong safety behind starter Atari Bigby but an injury to Bigby during the Week 2 matchup at Detroit promoted Rouse to starting strong safety for the Packers third game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys and the fourth against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After sustaining a knee injury in the 4th quarter against Tampa Bay, Rouse was inactive for the Packers next contest against the Atlanta Falcons. With Bigby also still out with an injury, Rouse was reinserted into the starting line up for the next two games against the Seattle Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts. Against the Colts, Rouse had seven tackles, two pass defenses, and an interception which he returned 99 yards for a touchdown, tying the longest interception return in Packers history. He was named NFL Defensive player of the week for that performance. [11] After Atari Bigby returned from injury, Rouse returned to his backup role for the next couple of games until he was injured after his interception in the Monday Night Football game at New Orleans. Rouse was inactive for the next contest vs Carolina.

Rouse again entered the season as a backup but started in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals in place of the injured Atari Bigby. He recorded 9 tackles, 2 assisted, in the game. Rouse was cut by the Packers the following Wednesday, on September 23, 2009, and replaced by Matt Giordano. [12]

New York Giants

Rouse was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants on September 24, 2009 after Kenny Phillips was placed on injured reserve.

He was released on March 6, 2010.

Arizona Cardinals

Rouse signed with the Arizona Cardinals on August 3, 2010. [13] He was waived on August 18.

Omaha Nighthawks

After being released by the Cardinals, Rouse signed with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League for the 2010 season.

Virginia Destroyers

Rouse continued with the UFL for the 2011 season, joining the Virginia Destroyers for the 2011 season. A highlight of Rouse's time with the Destroyers was the 2011 UFL championship game, in which Rouse recorded three interceptions en route to a 17–3 win; Rouse was designated the game MVP.

Political career

In 2018, Rouse ran for an at-large seat on the Virginia Beach City Council. [14] There were six candidates running for two seats. Rouse got the most votes and was elected alongside incumbent councilman John Moss. [15]

On February 27, 2020, Rouse announced he would run for mayor in the November election, facing incumbent Bobby Dyer. [16] On May 30, 2020, he announced that he was dropping out of the race citing the coronavirus pandemic as the reason for ending his campaign. [17] On March 14, 2022, Rouse announced he would be running for the Virginia State Senate in newly formed district 22 in the 2023 election. [18]

Following the racial unrest in the summer of 2020 Rouse gave a speech in which he compared modern American police to slave patrols. [19]

After Jen Kiggans was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Rouse became a candidate to succeed her in Virginia's 7th Senate district in the January 2023 special election. [20] Rouse, a Democrat, narrowly defeated Republican Kevin H. Adams on January 10, 2023, to become the district's senator-elect, flipping the seat. [2]

In 2024, he announced his bid for the 2025 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election. [21]

Fundraising

Candidate fundraising as of Jan 4, 2023 [22]
Adams Raised
 
989.7k
Adams Spent
 
852.8k
Rouse Raised
 
977.8k
Rouse Spent
 
899.5k

Due to the state-wide dynamics in Virginia, the special election also drew in lots of outside spending, including $100,000 from Planned Parenthood of Virginia on behalf of Rouse. [23]

Electoral history

2023 Virginia Senate special election, District 7
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Aaron Rouse 19,784 50.7
Republican Kevin Adams19,18749.2
Write-in 340.1
Total votes39,005 100
Democratic gain from Republican

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References

  1. ↑ "VPAP: November 8 Elections". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Democrat Rouse defeats GOP's Adams in 7th District Va. Senate race". WAVY.com. January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Packers.com » Team » Players » Aaron Rouse". Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
  4. 1 2 "SI Grade". CNN.
  5. 1 2 "When Did Your Favorite Team Enter the NFL?". Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Aaron Rouse Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  7. ↑ "2007 Draft Scout Aaron Rouse, Virginia Tech NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  8. ↑ "2007 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Aaron Rouse". Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  10. ↑ Wilde, Jason. "Packers notes: Grant says he'll play Thursday". Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2007.
  11. ↑ "Aaron Rouse Named NFC Defensive Player Of The Week". October 22, 2008. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Packers.com » News » Press Releases » September 23, 2009: Packers Sign S Giordano, Release S Rouse; Sign T Randolph to Practice Squad". Archived from the original on September 26, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Cutting Sheik, Highsmith among Cards' moves". Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  14. ↑ Minium, Harry (April 7, 2018). "Former Virginia Tech football player Aaron Rouse brings a different vibe to Beach City Council race". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  15. ↑ Parker, Stacy; Coutu, Peter; Skelton, Alissa (November 6, 2018). "In several tight races, most incumbents win re-election for Virginia Beach City Council". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  16. ↑ Skelton, Alissa (February 27, 2020). "Virginia Beach Councilman Aaron Rouse to run for mayor". The Virginian-Pilot . Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  17. ↑ Kennedy, Sean (May 30, 2020). "Virginia Beach Councilman Aaron Rouse drops out of mayoral race". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  18. ↑ Parker, Stacy (March 14, 2022). "Virginia Beach Councilman Aaron Rouse to run for state Senate". PilotOnline.com. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Abortion at the forefront in special election for Virginia Senate seat".
  20. ↑ "Rouse, Adams running to fill Va. State Senate seat vacated by Kiggans". wavy.com. November 14, 2022.
  21. ↑ "State Sen. Aaron Rouse announces candidacy for Virginia lieutenant governor". 13newsnow.com. April 23, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Special Election Finance Reports". VPAP. Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  23. ↑ "In one state Senate race, signs of a national struggle over abortion".
Senate of Virginia
Preceded by Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 7th district
2023–2024		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Virginia Senate
from the 22nd district
2024–Present		Incumbent
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