(BlackMediaScoop) vin Hester caught Michael Koenen’s punt and then set sail on a 62-yard punt-return touchdown, high-stepping the last 10 yards in homage to Deion Sanders, his close friend, as he broke Sanders’ record of 18 returns for touchdowns on Thursday night.
Hester broke the mark in front of Sanders, who is working the game as an analyst for NFL Network. Hester scored all of his other return touchdowns as a member of the Chicago Bears, and his former Bears head coach, Lovie Smith, watched this play from across the field with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Hester, 31, was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of the University of Miami (FL) as a cornerback/returner. Hester broke onto the scene with five returns for touchdowns as a rookie, followed by six in 2007. After going without a return score the next two seasons, Hester rebounded with three each in 2010 and 2011.
Last year, Hester scored his final return touchdown with the Bears, tying the record before breaking it as a member of the Atlanta Falcons.
