Omar Xavier Easy (born October 29, 1977) is a Jamaican-born American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

fullback in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played collegiate football at

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

before being selected by the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

in the fourth round of the

2002 NFL draft The 2002 NFL draft was the 67th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted ...

. He played one season for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

before retiring due to knee problems.

Early life and college

Easy was named

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and ''

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'' Massachusetts Player of the Year in 1996 while at Everett High School in

Everett, Massachusetts Everett is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, directly north of Boston, bordering the neighborhood of Charlestown. The population was 49,075 at the time of the 2020 United States census. Everett was the last city in the ...

. As a college senior, he was the

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of the 2001

Blue–Gray Football Classic The Blue–Gray Football Classic was an annual American college football all-star game held in Alabama, usually in late December and often on Christmas Day. The brainchild of Alabama college football legend Champ Pickens, the contest began in ...

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

Easy was selected by the

in the fourth round, with the 107th overall pick, of the

. He officially signed with the team on June 11, 2002. He played in seven games in 2002, catching three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown while also recording six solo tackles. Easy appeared in 15 games during the 2003 season, totaling three receptions for 19 yards and three solo tackles. He played in 15 games again in 2004 and made two solo tackles.

Oakland Raiders

Easy signed with the

on June 21, 2005. He appeared in a career-high 16 games in 2005, recording 13 solo tackles and one assisted tackle.

Post-playing career

From 2007 to 2009, Easy served as assistant offensive football coach and boys’ head track and field coach for his high school alma mater, Everett High School. In 2011, Easy was appointed director of player personnel and development in football for his college alma mater, Penn State. In January 2012, he left that position to become vice principal of his high school alma mater Everett High School. In January, 2021, Easy entered into negotiations to become the next Superintendent of Schools for

Wayland, Massachusetts Wayland is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1638, and incorporated in 1780 and was originally part of neighboring Sudbury (incorporated 1639). At the 2020 United States census, the population wa ...

Public Schools. He began his term on July 1, 2021. In February 2023, he was placed on leave from the position under allegations of misconduct. In 2024, Easy was named assistant athletics director for the Brand Academy at Penn State.

Personal life

Easy suffers from exercise-induced

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

. He established the ''EasyWay Foundation'' in 2003 to benefit children with asthma. He is married to volleyball player Megan Hodge. He received his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

degree in

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in 2001 from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

, which included a minor in

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. He also received both his Master of Education (M.Ed.) in the field of education administration and his Ph.D. in educational leadership from

. Additionally, he earned a master's degree in business administration from the

University of Phoenix University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the Ac ...

in 2010.

References

External links

Profile
at NFL.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Easy, Omar 1977 births Living people Sportspeople from Spanish Town Players of American football from Everett, Massachusetts Jamaican players of American football American football running backs Penn State Nittany Lions football players Kansas City Chiefs players Oakland Raiders players University of Phoenix alumni School superintendents in Massachusetts High school football coaches in Massachusetts Coaches of American football from Massachusetts