John Alfred Roper (born October 4, 1965 in Houston, Texas) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Texas A&M University and was drafted in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft. Roper was cut by Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson for falling asleep during a special teams meeting prior to their October 17 game against the San Francisco 49ers in 1993. After this event, he did not play another game in the National Football League.