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Rolando McClain
File:Rolando McClain.JPG
Acknowledging some Raiders fans at a game in Denver in October, 2010.
No. 55     Baltimore Ravens
Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1989-07-14) July 14, 1989 (age 34)
Place of birth: Athens, Alabama
High School: Decatur (AL)
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Weight: 259 lb (117 kg)
Career information
College: Alabama
NFL Draft: 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8
Debuted in 2010 for the Oakland Raiders
Career history
*Oakland Raiders ( 2010 2012)
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
* Unanimous All-American (2009)[1]
Tackles     244
Quarterback sacks     6.5
Interceptions     1
Stats at NFL.com

Rolando Marquise McClain (born July 14, 1989) is a American football linebacker who currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football for the University of Alabama, he was recognized as a unanimous All-American and the best college linebacker in the nation, and helped Alabama win the 2010 BCS National Championship. Drafted eight overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2010, McClain played three seasons in the NFL, leading the Raiders in tackles in 2011. After various off-the-field incidents, however, he was cut by the Raiders in April 2013. Signed to one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens, he surprisingly retired from football in May 2013 at the age of 23.[7][8]

High school career[]

McClain attended Decatur High School in Decatur, Alabama, where he played linebacker and tight end for the Decatur Red Raiders high school football team. As a senior he was an Orlando Sentinel All-Southern team selection, Parade All-American, and was selected to play in the first Offense-Defense All-American Bowl in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In high school, he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease,[9] though recent tests seemed to indicate that was a misdiagnosis.[10]

College career[]

McClain received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Alabama, and played for coach Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2007 to 2009. As a true freshman in 2007, he started 8 of 13 games for the Crimson Tide, finishing fourth on the team in tackles with 75. He also recorded two interceptions and a sack and was a freshmen All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection. During his sophomore season in 2008, McClain compiled 95 tackles, three sacks, and an interception, earning Associated Press (AP) third-team All-American honors, and was a first-team All-SEC selection.

For the 2009 season, McClain had 105 total tackles including 14.5 tackles for loss. He also had four sacks, fourteen quarterback hurries, two interceptions, three passes broken up, and a forced fumble. He was named Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Kentucky Wildcats in early October.[11] Following the SEC Championship Game, Rolando was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and a first-team All-SEC selection.

On December 7, 2009, McClain was announced as the winner of the 2009 Lambert Award for the best collegiate linebacker.[12] He is the first Alabama linebacker to win the Lambert Award since its inception in 1991. A day later, he was also awarded the 2009 Dick Butkus Award, being only the second Crimson Tide player to do so (along with Derrick Thomas in 1988).[13] He was recognized a unanimous first-team All-American, after being named to the first teams of the American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News, and Walter Camp Football Foundation.[14][15]

On January 11, 2010, several days after winning the BCS National Championship, McClain decided to forgo his senior year at Alabama and enter the NFL draft.[16]

Professional career[]

2010 NFL Draft[]

McClain was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was the highest drafted Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker since Keith McCants went 4th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1990 NFL Draft.

Pre-draft measureables
Ht Wt 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP Wonderlic
6 ft 3 ⅜ in 249 lb 4.68 s 1.62 s 2.72 s 4.38 s 7.16 s 35 in 9 ft 1 in 24 rep 16

Oakland Raiders[]

McClain signed his contract with the Raiders on July 28, 2010, in time to make the first day of training camp. The contract is estimated to be for $40 million over 5 years.[18]

In week 2 of the 2010 season against the St. Louis Rams, McClain body slammed Danny Amendola, which drew an "unnecessary roughness" call and eventually a $5,000 fine by the NFL.[19] He recorded his first career sack in week 7 against Kyle Orton of the Denver Broncos and his first career interception in week 12 against Chad Henne of the Miami Dolphins.

McClain finished his first season with 85 tackles, 0.5 sacks, an interception, and 6 passes defended.

During the 2012 NFL season, in which the Raiders' defense struggled and was statistically the worst defense in the league, McClain saw his playing time decrease following a 37-6 rout by the division rival Denver Broncos. During a week 4 game against Denver, McClain played in 73 snaps, but following the bye, the Raiders made the decision to replace him with 4th round rookie Miles Burris in their nickel package, resulting in McClain playing only 17 snaps compared to Burris' 55 in the week 6 game against the Atlanta Falcons. Head coach Dennis Allen was quoted as saying that he has been impressed with Burris' ability to make corrections on the fly, saying the linebacker was not a "repeat offender" when it came to mistakes and a smart football player overall, indicating the coaching staff's belief that McClain was guilty of poor decision-making and too many errors.[20]

According to sources within the Raiders, it was reported by NFL.com's Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport that McClain had been kicked out of an official team practice session on November 29 due to an "incident".[21] McClain then took to social media outlet Facebook and released a series of comments stating that he was ". . .no longer an Oakland Raider!!" and that he was ". . .mentally done." with the team, wishing ". . .to be anywhere besides here".[22]

McClain had been drafted with the hopes that he could help improve the Raiders' run defense, an area where the team had been consistently among the worst in the league. Following a string of poor first round picks by late owner/GM Al Davis, the selection of Rolando McClain was applauded by many analysts. Throughout his tenure however, McClain has not only failed to help bolster the defense against the run, but he has also shown to be a liability in pass coverage.[according to whom?]

McClain was released on April 5, 2013 by the Oakland Raiders.[23]

Baltimore Ravens[]

McClain signed with the Baltimore Ravens on April 10, 2013.[24] On May 15, McClain announced his retirement.[7] on March 10 he announced that he would return to the NFL after 1 year retired, the Ravens own his contract rights

Personal[]

McClain was born in Decatur, Alabama to parents Roland McClain and Tonya Malone. He grew up in the projects of Decatur, Alabama. At 15, Rolando received a restraining order against his mother after she beat him and threatened him with a knife. At 16, she was arrested after she threatened his entire high school which resulted in a school lock down. During the trial she was diagnosed as bi-polar. His estranged father was granted custody but McClain left to return to Decatur to stay eligible for football. He lived with several families including the Tim Thomas family his junior year. Tim played on the same Ole Miss basketball team as Sean Tuohy, whose Memphis family took in Michael Oher, which is the subject of the book and movie The Blind Side. McClain could be considered to have been "on his own" since he was 15.[25]

McClain's cousin Le'Ron McClain also played football at the University of Alabama, and as of 2014 he plays for the San Diego Chargers.[26]

In January 2013, McClain married Capri Knox and, with their 2 sons, moved to Madison, Alabama. McClain and Knox first met in 2007 at the University of Alabama where she was a member of the Alabama Track team.[27]

After his retirement, McClain moved to Tuscaloosa, where he re-enrolled at the University of Alabama in order to finish his bachelor's degree in family financial planning.[8]

Arrests[]

On December 1, 2011, McClain was arrested by Decatur police and charged with third-degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm inside the city limits, all of which are misdemeanors, for a shooting incident that occurred the night before.[28][29] On May 17, 2012, McClain was found guilty on all counts, ordered to pay a $500 fine for each charge, totaling $2,000, and sentenced to spend 45 days in jail for each charge, 180 in total. He was freed on bond, and will begin serving his sentence on June 1.[30]

On November 18, 2012, while the case was on appeal, the charges were dismissed by the Judge after the victim decided not to press charges. According to lawyers involved, a financial settlement was reached between McClain and the victim.[31]

On January 8, 2013 McClain was arrested by Decatur Police in Morgan County after an officer pulled him over for a window tint violation. McClain provided the officer with a false name and he was arrested and booked into the Decatur City Jail. McClain bonded out of jail later that day.[32]

On April 21, 2013, McClain was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.[33]

References[]

  1. "Alabama Places Four on AFCA All American Team", Rolltide.com, December 3, 2009, http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120309aaa.html
  2. "McClain wins Butkus Award", AP (ESPN), December 8, 2009, http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4724767
  3. "McClain wins Jack Lambert Award", Rolltide.com, December 7, 2009, http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120709aad.html
  4. "AP honors Saban, Ingram, McClain", Scout.com, December 7, 2009, http://alabama.scout.com/2/926978.html
  5. "Gators couldn't solve McElroy", ESPN, December 5, 2009, http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=4717584
  6. "Saban's trademark plays key Bama's win", ESPN, January 7, 2010, http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls09/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=4807215
  7. 7.0 7.1 McIntyre, Brian (2013-05-15). "Rolando McClain retires from the NFL ... at age 23". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/rolando-mcclain-announces-retirement-nfl-171815468.html. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Wickersham, Seth (October 30, 2013). "Former Oakland Raiders, Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain's self-imposed exile". ESPN The Magazine. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9882568/nfl-former-oakland-raiders-alabama-linebacker-rolando-mcclain-self-imposed-exile.
  9. CBS Sports ROLANDO MCCLAIN, ILB, http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1273352, retrieved 2010-04-23
  10. Vittorio Tafur (05-02-2010). "First-round pick McClain blends in with Raiders". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/01/SPIL1D87RV.DTL. Retrieved 05-02-2010.
  11. "McClain named National Defensive Player of the Week", Rolltide.com, October 6, 2009, http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/100609aab.html
  12. Kausler, Don, Jr. (December 7, 2009), "Tide's McClain wins Lambert Award as nation's top linebacker", The Birmingham News, http://blog.al.com/tide-source/2009/12/tides_mcclain_wins_lambert_awa.html
  13. Goodbread, Chase (December 8, 2009), "Rolando McClain wins the Butkus Award", Tuscaloosa News, http://www.tidesports.com/article/20091208/NEWS/912089994/1011?Title=Rolando-McClain-wins-the-Butkus-Award
  14. 2011 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 12 (2011). Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  15. "Crimson Tide place six on AP All-American Team", Tidesports.com, December 15, 2009, http://www.tidesports.com/article/20091215/NEWS/912159998/1011?Title=Crimson-Tide-places-six-on-AP-All-America-team
  16. Estes, Gentry (2010-01-11). "Tide LB Rolando McClain to enter the 2010 NFL draft". Mobile Press-Register (AL.com). http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2010/01/rolando_mcclain.html. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
  17. "Rolando McClain Draft Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=70847&draftyear=2010&genpos=ILB. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
  18. "Source: Oakland Raiders' Rolando McClain gets $23M guaranteed". ESPN.com. July 29, 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5419596.
  19. Williamson, Bill (September 24, 2010). "Rolando McClain fined for body slam". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/17700/rolando-mcclain-fined-for-body-slam.
  20. Zimmerman, Kevin (October 17, 2012). "Raiders' Miles Burris is passing Rolando McClain". bayarea.sbnation.com. http://bayarea.sbnation.com/raiders/2012/10/17/3518028/raiders-vs-jaguars-miles-burris-snap-count.
  21. Rosenthal, Gregg (November 28, 2012). "Rolando McClain booted from Oakland Raiders practice". NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000102539/article/rolando-mcclain-kicked-out-of-raiders-practice.
  22. Sessler, Marc (November 28, 2012). "Rolando McClain wants off Oakland Raiders' roster". NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000102337/article/rolando-mcclain-wants-off-oakland-raiders-roster.
  23. Dubow, Josh (April 5, 2013). "Raiders waive LB Rolando McClain". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/raiders-waive-lb-rolando-mcclain-204743704--nfl.html. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  24. Report: Rolando McClain Says He's Signing 1-Year Deal With Ravens
  25. "Community helps Alabama's Rolando McClain grab NFL jackpot". Birmingham News. April 25, 2010. http://blog.al.com/tide-source/2010/04/community_helps_alabamas_rolan.html.
  26. Platania, Joe (April 23, 2010), "Second-Rounder Cody To Pair With Ngata Vs. Run", Pressbox, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le'Ron_McClain
  27. http://madisonweeklynews.com/rolando-mcclain-madisons-newest-resident-opens-up-about-his-life-and-his-focus-to-make-things-right/
  28. Clines, Keith (December 1, 2011). "Former Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain arrested in Decatur". The Huntsville Times. http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/12/former_alabama_linebacker_rola.html.
  29. McDonald, Jerry (December 1, 2011). "Oakland Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain facing four charges in hometown of Decatur, Ala.". Bay Area News Group. http://www.contracostatimes.com/raiders/ci_19452578.
  30. Voight, Josh (May 17, 2012). "Rolando McClain found guilty". WAAY. http://www.waaytv.com/news/local/story/Rolando-McClain-found-guilty/F-33c1N7K0-wHq46DRPaLg.cspx.
  31. "McClain charges dropped: Criminal case dismissed on alleged victim’s request". Decatur Daily. November 19, 2012. http://decaturdaily.com/stories/McClain-charges-dropped,107598.
  32. Voight, Josh (January 8, 2013). "Rolando McClain Arrested Again In Morgan County". WHNT. http://whnt.com/2013/01/08/breaking-rolando-mcclain-arrested-again-in-morgan-county/.
  33. Jones, Monique; Zrebiec, Jeff (April 22, 2013). "Ravens' Rolando McClain arrested in Alabama". Baltimore Sun. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-04-22/sports/bal-ravens-linebacker-rolando-mcclain-charged-with-disorderly-conduct-resisting-arrest-20130421_1_dannell-ellerbe-john-harbaugh-pines-park.

External links[]

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