Emmett Cleary

Emmett Cleary (born April 27, 1990) is a former American football offensive tackle of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College, and signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and Detroit Lions.

Early years
Cleary was born in Tokyo, Japan, but moved to the United States where he first learned football. He graduated from St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, IL and was called "The Asian Sensation" by students. He played as an offensive tackle and defensive end. As a senior he received honorable-mention All-State honors. He also was a two-time All-East Suburban Catholic Conference selection.

Cleary accepted a football scholarship from Boston College. He established himself as a starter at right tackle for the last 5 games of his sophomore season, after Rich Lapham was injured. He was moved to left tackle as a senior.

Indianapolis Colts
On April 30, 2013, Cleary was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts. After competing for a roster spot during their training camp he was waived/injured (undisclosed) on September 5.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On October 16, 2013, Cleary was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 6, 2014. He was released on June 17.

Oakland Raiders
On June 18, 2014, he was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Raiders. He was released on August 24.

Cincinnati Bengals
On September 16, 2014, he was added to the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad.

New York Giants
On January 13, 2015, Cleary signed a reserve/future contract with the New York Giants. He was waived on September 5. On September 6, he was signed to the Giants' practice squad. On November 16, he was elevated to the active roster. On September 6, 2016, he was waived/injured (finger).

Dallas Cowboys
On September 28, 2016, Cleary was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to be the reserve swing tackle and replace an injured Chaz Green. He played only on special teams until Week 16 against the Detroit Lions, where he replaced an injured Tyron Smith at left tackle in the third quarter. He started at left tackle in the final game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles in place of an injured Smith.

In 2017, he was passed on the depth chart by Byron Bell during training camp and was waived on September 2.

Detroit Lions
On September 12, 2017, Cleary was signed by the Detroit Lions.

Cleary announced his retirement from the NFL on April 10, 2018. On May 13, 2018 he announced his plans to attend medical school in fall 2018 at USC.