Nnamdi Asomugha

Nnamdi Asomugha (; born July 6, 1981) is a Nigerian-American actor, director, producer, and former professional football cornerback who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for the California Golden Bears, and was selected in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft by the Raiders. Fo...

Nnamdi Asomugha (; born July 6, 1981) is a Nigerian-American actor, director, producer, and former professional football cornerback who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for the California Golden Bears, and was selected in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft by the Raiders. For several years, he was considered one of the best shutdown corners in the NFL. In his 11-year career, he was voted All-Pro four times, including twice to the first team. Asomugha was selected as a member of Fox Sports's NFL All-Decade Team 2000–2009 and USA Today's NFL All-Decade Team 2000s, and is considered one of the greatest Raiders of all time. Asomugha received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Carl King in the film Crown Heights (2017). He was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male and he was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Variety named him one of the seven breakout performers of 2017. Asomugha made his Broadway debut in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Soldier’s Play (2020) as Private First Class Melvin Peterson, a role originated off-Broadway by Denzel Washington. Later that year, the production won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Asomugha received his first Emmy nomination when Sylvie’s Love (2020)—which he produced and starred in—was nominated for Outstanding Television Movie at the Primetime Emmy Awards. That same year, Variety named him one of its '10 Producers to Watch.' Early life and education Nnamdi Asomugha was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, to Nigerian Igbo parents. His childhood was spent making numerous trips to Nigeria. He was raised in Los Angeles, California. He attended Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California, and Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, California, before transferring to and from Narbonne High School in Harbor City, California, playing high school basketball and football. College career Asomugha attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he played for the California Golden Bears football team. He finished his career with 187 tackles, three sacks, 19 stops for losses, eight interceptions, three touchdowns, 15 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble in 41 games as a free safety. Asomugha graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Professional career He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, where he spent eight seasons. He later played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers before retiring at the end of the 2013–2014 season. Oakland Raiders Asomugha was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round, with the 31st overall pick, of the 2003 NFL draft. He was the second Cal player drafted in the first round that year. He was moved to cornerback but played sparingly the first two seasons of his career. He became a starter in 2005 and set new highs in tackles with 60 tackles (55 solo) and passes broken up with 14. In 2006, he recorded his first two career interceptions against the Cleveland Browns. He got his third interception four weeks later against the Pittsburgh Steelers and returned it 24 yards for the first touchdown of his career. Though the team suffered through a 2–14 season, Asomugha's 2006 campaign was his finest yet as he finished the season with 50 tackles (48 solo), eight interceptions, a sack, a forced fumble and one touchdown. His interception total tied him for second highest total in the National Football League along with four other players (including former Oakland Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson). After the season, Asomugha was invited to the Pro Bowl as an alternate but because of late notice he was not able to attend the annual all-star game. He also received the Oakland Raiders "Commitment to Excellence" Award and was named the team's Most Valuable Player. In addition, Asomugha was selected to Dr. Z Sports Illustrated 2006 All-Pro team as well as The Associated Press 2006 All-Pro Team. Asomugha was selected as the Raiders Team Captain for the 2007 season. Opposing quarterbacks tested him only 31 times with a mere 10 completions the entire season. One NFL scout told Pro Football Weekly that Asomugha was thrown at "less than any defender in the last ten years" in 2007. He finished the 2007 season with 34 tackles(32 solo), 1 interception and 7 breakups and was named a 2008 Pro Bowl alternate. A free agent in the 2008 offseason, the Raiders placed the exclusive franchise tag on Asomugha on February 20, 2008. Asomugha was again selected a team captain before the 2008 season. Opposing quarterbacks tested him only 27 times the entire season resulting in just 8 completions. Only perennial all-pros Randy Moss (3 receptions, 40 yards) and Tony Gonzalez (2 receptions, 34 yards) would catch more than one ball on him during the year. New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Asomugha is "as complete a cornerback as he has seen all year". He finished the 2008 season with 40 tackles, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 9 pass deflections. He received the Oakland Raiders "Commitment to Excellence" Award for the second time and was named the team's 2008 Co-Most Valuable Player along with running back Justin Fargas. Asomugha was selected as a starter for the 2009 Pro Bowl. He was selected onto The Sporting News 2008 All-Pro Team as well as the Pro Football Writers Association All-NFL Team for 2008. Asomugha was also selected onto Peter King's Sports Illustrated 2008 All-Pro team as well as The Associated Press 2008 All-Pro Team. On February 19, 2009, the Raiders re-signed Asomugha to a complex three-year deal that made him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. The first two years, worth $28.5 million, were fully guaranteed. In the third year of the contract, if Oakland wanted to keep Asomugha, it had to pay him the average of the top five highest-paid cornerbacks or $16.875 million, whichever was higher. If the Raiders failed to pick up the option, Asomugha became a free agent with Oakland not having the ability to tag him again. In August 2009 the Oakland Tribune named Asomugha one of the greatest Oakland Raiders of all time. A team captain again in 2009 and the NFL's least targeted cornerback by an extremely wide margin, Asomugha was challenged by opposing quarterbacks only 27 times and allowed 13 completions the entire season. After his performance against the Houston Texans, head coach Gary Kubiak said "Asomugha is the best (corner) I've seen in a while throughout this league. He's big, he's fast, they put him out there on an island the whole game. He's an exceptional player." Similar to the past three seasons, Asomugha finished the 2009 season with 34 tackles, 1 interception, and was second in the league with 8 tackles for loss from the cornerback position. Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said "The guy is truly unbelievable. He made himself the best corner in football by his work ethic, the way he studies tape, and he's so smart." Following the 2009 season, Asomugha was selected as a starter for the 2010 Pro Bowl. Asomugha was selected onto The Sporting News 2009 All-Pro Team (2nd team) as well as The Associated Press 2009 All-Pro Team (2nd team). This would mark his third selection to both the Pro Bowl and All-Pro team in his seven-year career with the Oakland Raiders. In 2010, Asomugha was selected as a member of the Fox Sports' and USA Today's NFL All-Decade Team. The shutdown corner lived up to his title once again in the 2010 season. While shadowing the opposing teams' top receiver most of the season, Asomugha was still targeted much less than any other cornerback in the NFL. Asomugha allowed just 10 receptions on the 27 passes thrown his way. Most important, Asomugha did not give up a touchdown all year. "He has extraordinary speed – great speed," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "He's exactly what you're looking for in a press corner and about as good as you could hope a guy to be." When facing the Arizona Cardinals, All-Pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said "The thing you see on tape for a man of his size, he has incredible hips and amazingly quick feet, and that's just God given ability to be that tall and be able to move and cut and drive on balls the way he's able to." Following the 2010 season, Asomugha was selected as a starter for the 2011 Pro Bowl. Asomugha was selected onto ESPN John Clayton's 2010 All-Pro Team as well as Peter King's Sports Illustrated 2010 All-Pro team. Asomugha was also selected to the prestigious Associated Press 2010 All-Pro Team, his fourth selection as an All-Pro. He was ranked 18th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011. Philadelphia Eagles Entering the 2011 season, Asomugha was regarded as the top free agent available on the market. On July 29, 2011, Asomugha agreed to a five-year, $60 million deal, and at least $25 million guaranteed, contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2011, he finished the season with 40 total tackles, 5 passes defended, and 3 interceptions. Asomugha was named a 2012 Pro Bowl alternate. During his time in Philadelphia, the team struggled to a 12–20 record, missing the playoffs both years. Asomugha was eventually released by the team at the end of the 2012 season after he was unable to agree to a restructured deal with the team. San Francisco 49ers On April 2, 2013, Asomugha signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, under which he would earn a base salary of $1.35 million and with a chance to earn up to an additional $1.65 million in incentives. On November 4, 2013, Asomugha was waived by the team. Retirement On December 26, 2013, Asomugha signed a one-day contract with Oakland so he could retire as a Raider. He officially announced his retirement on December 27, 2013. In 2016, Pro Football Focus named Asomugha the best Oakland Raiders player of the past decade. NFL career statistics Media career Asomugha's first onscreen role was on The CW sitcom The Game, followed by roles in other television series, including Friday Night Lights and the TNT drama Leverage. He also appeared in Will Ferrell's comedy web series Funny or Die (2012) and the Roadside Attractions film Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015). In 2014, Asomugha worked as an executive producer on the Netflix film Beasts of No Nation. The film premiered at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival and was a critical success, garnering numerous awards that year, including a nomination for Best Feature at the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Asomugha's breakout performance came when he produced and starred in the Amazon Studios film Crown Heights. The film premiered in competition in the US Dramatic Category at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017, where it received favorable reviews and won the Audience Award for U.S. Dramatic Film. Following its success, Asomugha was widely regarded as one of the breakout actors of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, with Jenelle Riley of Variety calling his performance "simply astounding." He was later nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards, as well as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards. Asomugha made his stage debut in the Off-Broadway play Good Grief (2018) at the Vineyard Theatre. The play was named a New York Times Critic's Pick, and Sara Holdren of New York Magazine praised Asomugha's performance as "excellent." Asomugha has served as a producer or executive producer on several film and theatre projects, including the Focus Features film Harriet (2019), the Apple Studios film The Banker (2020), and the Amazon Studios film Nanny (2022), which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. He has also produced for theatre, including the Broadway plays American Son (2