He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earned consensus All-American honors, and winning the Rimington Trophy.
Bentley was selected in the second round (44th overall) in the 2002 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints and was signed to a four-year deal worth $2.95 million.
[4] After backing out of an unofficial agreement with the Philadelphia Eagles,[5] Bentley signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2006,[6] and was regarded by ESPN as the top-rated free agent.
However, Bentley tore his patellar tendon on the first play of the team's first 11-on-11 training camp session on July 27, and missed the entire 2006 season.
[6] He underwent four total operations, including two to clean out a staph infection that ate away at the tendon, in addition to a virus that became severe enough that doctors considered amputating his leg.
[citation needed] On June 10, 2008, nearly two years after his injury, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Bentley had passed his team physical and was cleared to return to the practice field,[9] but the following day, the Browns granted his request to be released.
[10] Upon his release, teams such as Buffalo, Cincinnati, Miami, Oakland, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Francisco and Seattle expressed varying degrees of interest in Bentley.
After spending the 2008 season out of football, Bentley announced in January 2009 that he was no longer attempting to return to the NFL, and would start a career in Cleveland media.