Background and career
BenJarvus Jeremy Green-Ellis (born July 2, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers and Ole Miss Rebels. Green-Ellis was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Because of his segmented name, Green-Ellis is nicknamed "the Law Firm". He never had a fumble with the Patriots.
Green-Ellis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to Latonia Green and Ronald Ellis, the co-founder of major hip hop record label Cash Money Records. He attended St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, and was a student and a letterman in football and track for the Purple Knights athletic teams. He was named as an All-City selection and as an All-Metro selection, and the Clarion Herald and the New Orleans Times-Picayune named him as an All-District selection. Also a standout track athlete, he lettered twice in track & field, where he was an All-District selection and an All-Region selection.
Before transferring to Mississippi, Green-Ellis was a productive running back for Indiana University in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Green-Ellis transferred when then-coach Gerry DiNardo was fired and replaced by Terry Hoeppner before the 2005 season. As a freshman in 2003, Green-Ellis had a breakout year with 938 yards and seven touchdowns on 225 carries. As a sophomore in 2004, Green-Ellis was a part of a two running back rotation with Chris Taylor. Still, he led the team with 794 yards rushing on 231 carries and scored five touchdowns. At Ole Miss, Green-Ellis was only the second running back in the school's history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. As a junior in 2006, Green-Ellis posted 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns on a school record of 234 carries. During his senior season in 2007, he recorded 1,137 yards and six touchdowns. He was named as an All-SEC first-team selection by the Associated Press.
Green-Ellis was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2008. He was waived by the team on August 30, 2008, and signed to the team's practice squad on September 1, 2008. He was promoted to the active roster on October 11. Green-Ellis made his NFL debut on October 12, 2008, recording one catch for nine yards against the San Diego Chargers. October 20, 2008, the same day that the Patriots placed fellow running back Laurence Maroney on injured reserve, Green-Ellis had his first NFL start in the Patriots' 41–7 victory against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. Green-Ellis had 65 yards on 13 rushes in the second half, and scored his first touchdown on a 1-yard run, entering the end zone untouched. During Sunday Night Football's November 2, 2008, broadcast, Al Michaels and John Madden noted that his Patriots teammates had nicknamed Green-Ellis "Law Firm," on account of his multi-part name.
In Week 10, against the Buffalo Bills, Green-Ellis had his first 100-yard game in the NFL (with 105 yards), and scored a touchdown for the fourth consecutive game, giving him a touchdown in every NFL game he had started at the time. The one-yard touchdown run capped a 92-yard drive whose 19 plays tied a franchise record for most plays on one drive.
Green-Ellis played in 12 games in the 2009 season. He had 26 carries for 114 rushing yards.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
