Erin Henderson

Erin Henderson (born July 1, 1986) is an American football linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at the University of Maryland.

Early years
Henderson was born and raised in Aberdeen, Maryland. He played quarterback and linebacker for Aberdeen High School in Harford County, Maryland and won the first state football championship in school history.

College career
After redshirting his freshman year with the Terrapins, Henderson missed the entire 2005 season after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament.

Henderson entered his redshirt sophomore year at Maryland and started 12 of 13 games at linebacker. He earned second team all-ACC honors while finishing 2nd in the conference in total tackles.

Henderson recorded 133 tackles, a forced fumble, and four fumble recoveries, and was a semi-finalist for the Dick Butkus Award, which went to James Laurinaitis of Ohio State. He led a 6–6 Maryland squad to the 2007 Emerald Bowl, where they lost to Oregon State.

Minnesota Vikings
During his rookie year, he played in 10 games and finished with 15 tackles. He mostly played on special teams and saw limited time on defense.

Henderson played in two regular season games for the Vikings in 2009, recording four tackles. He was suspended four games by the NFL on December 15, 2009 for violation of league's banned substances policy. Henderson won the starting job at weak-side linebacker at the start of the 2011 season and has been a valuable player on the Viking's defense.

Set to become a unrestricted free agent for the 2013 season, Henderson re-signed with the Vikings for a two-year contract.

Personal life
He is the younger brother of free agent linebacker E. J. Henderson. They both played college football at Maryland.