He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft.

[1][2] In addition to four years in Tennessee, Thornton also played six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.

[5][6][7][8][9] Thornton attended West Virginia University and was a two-time All-Big East selection.

As a senior, he was defensive co-captain and earned First-team All-America honors from The Sports Network.

[10][11] Thornton was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the second round (52nd overall) in the 1999 NFL draft.