| Free Agent | |
| Safety | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: October 15, 1981 | |
| Place of birth: West Palm Beach, Florida | |
| High School: West Palm Beach (FL) Newman | |
| Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | Weight: 212 lb (96 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Kent State | |
| Undrafted in 2005 | |
| Debuted in 2006 for the Dallas Cowboys | |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2012 | |
| Tackles | 408 |
| Sacks | 5.0 |
| INTs | 3 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Abram "Abe" Elam (born October 15, 1981) is an American football safety who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He played college football at Notre Dame and Kent State.
He has also played for the New York Jets, the Cleveland Browns, and the Dallas Cowboys.
Early years
He attended Cardinal Newman High School (West Palm Beach, Florida). He lettered in basketball helping his team win two state titles and was also an all-state selection as a senior playing quarterback and defensive back.
Elam accepted a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame but a felony sexual battery conviction[1] in 2002 got him expelled from the school.
He attended Palm Beach Community College and worked at a dentist's office before receiving a scholarship offer from Kent State University in 2004, where he graduated from in 2005 after playing just one year.
Professional career
Miami Dolphins
Elam was signed by the Miami Dolphins in 2005 as an undrafted free agent, but was released during training camp.
Dallas Cowboys (first stint)
Dallas Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells signed him as a free agent in 2006, based on a recommendation from Tucker Frederickson who had a son that played at Kent State University. That season he contributed mostly as one of the tackling leaders in the special teams unit.
In 2007 the Cowboys waived him, deciding instead to keep that year's seventh round draft choice (Alan Ball), which was a decision the team would later regret.
New York Jets
In 2007 the New York Jets claimed him based on a recommendation from Bill Parcells and would start 8 games at safety. In 2008 he started 9 games. On April 25, 2009, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns as part of a trade to acquire the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, in order to select Mark Sanchez.
Cleveland Browns
In Cleveland he was reunited with former New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini and was the Browns starter at safety.
Dallas Cowboys (second stint)
In 2011, after hiring his former Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, the Cowboys signed him to a one year contract as a free agent and named him the starter at safety. The team didn't bring him back after the season because of a lack of production.
Kansas City Chiefs
On June 5th, 2012, Elam signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Personal
Since 1987, three of Elam's siblings were shot to death. His older brother, Donald Runner, was fatally shot in 1987. His sister, Christina Elam, was killed in 1999. On May 9, 2008, his older brother Donald Elam was fatally shot; at age 14, Donald Elam was once the youngest person ever indicted for murder in Palm Beach County, though he was later acquitted.[2] On December 1, 2011 Abram's father died, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones let Abram use his private plane to go to Florida to be with his family. Convicted SEXUAL BATT FORCE IMMENT THREAT FORCE[3] Conviction Date: 10/24/2003 Victim's Age: 21
References
- ↑ Abram Elam aiming for fresh start, New York Daily News, 25 Nov 2007, http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/abram-elam-aiming-fresh-start-article-1.256970
- ↑ Brother of Jets safety fatally shot in Florida, Fox Sports, 10 May 2008, http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8122632/Brother-of-Jets-safety-fatally-shot-in-Florida/
- ↑ http://www.familywatchdog.us/ViewInfo.asp