When he was 10 years old, Carder was a BMX World Champion. Battled back from a life-threatening injury at age 13, when he sustained a broken back, broken ribs, a punctured diaphragm and punctured lung after being thrown from a vehicle, which then rolled over him.[3]
Carder attended Sweeny High SchoolinTexas, where he accounted for 1,200 yards of offense and 116 tackles on defense in his senior year. He was regarded as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com.[4]
Four-year letterman at Texas Christian University, where he was named a two-time Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year (2010, 2011).
In the 2011 Rose Bowl, Carder was named Defensive MVP of the Game. He batted down a two-point conversion pass late in the fourth quarter that would have tied the game to go into overtime but secured the win for TCU with a final score of 21–19.[5]
Carder was selected in the fifth round, 147th overall, in the 2012 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills.[6][7] On August 31, 2012, the Bills released Carder for final roster cuts.
Carder was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns on September 4, 2012.[8] He has played in 30 career games, with two starts at linebacker, and is a primary contributor on special teams.
The Browns re-signed Carder on March 7, 2016.[9][10]
In the second preseason game of 2017, Carder suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out for the season.[11][12]
On March 26, 2018, Carder re-signed with the Browns.[13] He was released by the Browns on June 5, 2018.[14]
On November 21, 2012, Carder sent a tweet calling another Twitter user a “faggot,”[15] leading to calls that he be fined and suspended.[16] The tweet was in response to a tweet about Call of Duty made by a satirical comedy account.[17] Carder stood by his statements, tweeting “I don’t agree with being gay or lesbian at all, but saying faggot doesn’t make me a homophobe, it’s just a word.”[18] Carder has since deleted the tweets[19] and apologized, claiming his tweets did not reflect his character.[20] The NFL did not impose any suspensions or fines.
