Brian Patrick Cushing (born January 24, 1987) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

. He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the

2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...

and played his entire 9-year career for the Texans from 2009 to 2017 and became the team's all-time leading tackler.

Early years

Cushing trained throughout his childhood in

Park Ridge, New Jersey Park Ridge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Park Ridge had a population of 8,645 as of the 2010 United States Census,Bergen Catholic High School Bergen Catholic High School is an all-male Roman Catholic high school in Oradell, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Col ...

Oradell, New Jersey Oradell is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,244,, an increase of 266 from the 2010 census count of 7,978.Don Bosco Preparatory High School, providing huge plays in the 13–10 win. He was named "2004 North Jersey Player of the Year" by ''

The Record The Record may refer to: Music * ''The Record'' (album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear * The Records, an English power pop band * '' Their Greatest Hits: The Record'', a 2001 greatest-hits album by the pop-music group Bee Ge ...

'', and played in the 2005

U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...

alongside future USC teammates

Patrick Turner Patrick Steven Turner (born May 19, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern California. He was also a member of the ...

Rey Maualuga Reynold Tala Maualuga (born January 20, 1987) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at USC, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2009 N ...

, and

Mark Sanchez Mark Travis John Sanchez (born November 11, 1986) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at the University of Southern California (USC) and was dra ...

. Cushing was recruited by top colleges, including

Notre Dame Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

, and

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High ...

before eventually committing to the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

College career

Cushing attended the

and played for the

USC Trojans football The USC Trojans football program represents University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Ath ...

team from 2005 to 2008 under head coach

Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC from ...

. Cushing shared the No. 10 jersey with Trojans starting quarterback John David Booty from 2005 to 2007. Cushing was on

Phil Steele's Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, pro ...

2007 pre-season

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

team and on the 2007

Bednarik Award The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and professional Ame ...

and

Lott Trophy The Lott IMPACT Trophy is presented annually to the college football defensive IMPACT player of the year. IMPACT is an acronym for: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity. The award purports to equally recognize th ...

watch lists. Cushing returned a failed onside kick attempted by

at the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was ...

for a late fourth-quarter touchdown on November 25, 2006. On January 1, 2007, Cushing was named the Defensive MVP of the

Rose Bowl Game The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2. The Ro ...

, after recording 2½ sacks and forcing a third-quarter fumble that changed the momentum of the game. Cushing was named AP 2nd Team All-American as a senior despite having pedestrian statistics (73 tackles, 10½ tackles for loss, & 3 sacks). NFL scouts did not admire Cushing for his statistics, but for his versatility. Fast enough to play inside and outside linebacker and big and strong enough to play defensive end. Cushing was one of twelve senior USC players, including the four senior linebackers Cushing,

Kaluka Maiava Kaluka Maiava (born December 27, 1986) is a former American football linebacker who played for the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2009 ...

, Clay Matthews III and

, invited to the 2009

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...

.Ted Miller
Pac-10 NFL combine invitees
, ESPN.com, February 2, 2009, Accessed February 2, 2009. He also participated in the 2009

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. ...

with Maualuga, Matthews,

and others. Alongside fellow USC linebackers Maualuga and Matthews, he was featured on the cover of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...

s 2009 NFL Draft Preview magazine, as all three were regarded as potential first-round selections.Gary Klein
USC's Maualuga, Cushing and Matthews grace Sports Illustrated cover
LATimes.com, April 21, 2009, Accessed April 26, 2009. Cushing, along with Archie Griffin of

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pu ...

, are the only two players in college football history to have competed in the Rose Bowl as starters in all four seasons of their college careers.

College awards and honors

*2005 Scout.com Freshman All-American *2006 All-

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

Second-team *2007 All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention *2007 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP *2008 All-

First-team selection by the conference's head coaches and Rivals.com *2008 Rivals.com First-team All-American *2008

SI.com ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...

First-team All-American *2008

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

First-team All-American

Professional career

2009 season

Cushing was drafted with the 15th overall pick in the

by the Houston Texans and had one of the best defensive seasons by a rookie in NFL history. He scored his first career points on October 4, 2009, when he recorded a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...

. This was the first recorded safety by a Texan since the 2002 season. Cushing was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 6 of the

2009 NFL Season The 2009 NFL season was the 90th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL). The 50th anniversary of the original eight charter members of the American Football League was celebrated during this season. The preseason started ...

, becoming the first rookie to earn the award in the 2009 season. In Week 8, Cushing was again named AFC Defensive Player of the Week, becoming the first Texans rookie to win the award twice in one season. Cushing was also named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for November 2009. Cushing finished tied with

Ray Lewis Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who played as a middle linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens for his entire 17-year career in the National Football League (NFL). He played col ...

for the AFC lead with 133 tackles and added 4 sacks, 10 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles. He was selected to the

2010 Pro Bowl The 2010 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2009 season. It took place at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host sit ...

as a starter. Cushing was one of three rookies to make it to the Pro Bowl, another being a former USC teammate ( Clay Matthews). On January 5, 2010, Cushing was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Cushing is the second Texan to win the award, the first being DeMeco Ryans in 2006.

2010 season

On May 7, 2010, Adam Schefter of

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

reported that Cushing would be suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy, after he tested positive in September 2009 for having above-normal levels of the

human chorionic gonadotropin Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone for the maternal recognition of pregnancy produced by trophoblast cells that are surrounding a growing embryo (syncytiotrophoblast initially), which eventually forms the placenta after implantati ...

(hCG) hormone in his system. Cushing had previously denied rumors of having used performance-enhancing substances prior to being drafted. He then stated that he would undergo further medical tests to determine how hCG entered his system. Cushing still denies that he ever ingested or injected any performance enhancers and claimed the test result could have been from a cancerous tumor. On May 12, 2010, in a revote of the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award after his suspension was made public, Cushing again received the most votes, thus retaining his award. His second-team All-Pro status from his rookie season, however, was rescinded by the AP. In the final 12 games, he totaled 76 tackles, 1½ sacks, 4 pass deflections, and 1 forced fumble.

2011 season

During training camp heading into the 2011 season, Cushing was told that he would be switching from outside to inside linebacker due to the new 3–4 defense. They believed that he would not have the speed to get to the outside, despite the fact that he had always been an outside linebacker all through high school. In 2011, the Houston Texans finished the season with a 10–6 record and made it to the playoffs for the first time in team history. Cushing was named Team MVP and while he wasn't voted to the Pro-Bowl he earned AP 2nd Team All-Pro honors after finishing the season with 114 tackles, 4 sacks, 5 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles. Houston Texans defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips, called Cushing a "holy phenom" and also said that "he's one of the best I've ever coached, and I've been at it a long time." Cushing said that he will use the fact that he did not make the Pro-Bowl as "motivation and a driving force" to become better. The Texans defeated the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

31–10 in the first round but were defeated by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

20–13 in the Divisional Round.

2012 season

During the second quarter of the Houston Texans win over the New York Jets on Monday October 8, 2012, Cushing left the game with what appeared to be a knee injury, which was later confirmed to be a torn ACL. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

, ending his 2012 season.

2013 season

Cushing inked a six-year deal with the Houston Texans, a contract extension worth $55.6 million, which included $21 million guaranteed. Averaging $9.2 million for the next six years, the contract was the largest at the time for any inside linebacker, and made him the third highest paid inside linebacker in the NFL. During the October 20, 2013, game against

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

, Cushing broke his

fibula The fibula or calf bone is a human leg, leg bone on the Lateral (anatomy), lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long ...

and tore his

fibular collateral ligament The lateral collateral ligament (LCL, long external lateral ligament or fibular collateral ligament) is a ligament located on the lateral (outer) side of the knee, and thus belongs to the extrinsic knee ligaments and posterolateral corner of the k ...

after a low block from Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles in the third quarter. The Texans later announced that he would miss the remainder of the season.

2014 season

Cushing started the

2014 NFL season The 2014 NFL season was the 95th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and the 49th of the Super Bowl era. The season began on Thursday, September 4, 2014, with the annual kickoff game featuring the defending Super Bowl ...

well despite being brought along slowly at the start of the season, collecting 37 tackles in the first four games as the Texans opened with an impressive 3–1 record. Cushing had 17 tackles in their loss to the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

, tying the franchise record for tackles in a game.

2015 season

After being plagued by injuries in the previous two seasons, Cushing completed the 2015 season with 110 tackles. The Texans qualified for the first round of the playoffs but fell to 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

30–0.

2016 season

During Week 1 against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

on September 11, 2016, Cushing suffered a partially torn

MCL The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m ...

but he did not require surgery.

2017 season

On September 13, 2017, Cushing was suspended for ten games for again violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. On February 20, 2018, Cushing was released by the Texans after nine seasons as the franchise's all-time leading tackler.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

''Source'': Brian Cushing signs autographs in Houston in June 2014

NFL awards and honors

*2× AFC Defensive Rookie of the Month (November 2009 & December 2009) *2× AFC Defensive Player of the Week (2009 weeks 6 & 8) *2009 AFC Defensive Player of the Month of November *2009 Pro Bowl selection (starter) *2009 SN-2nd Team All-Pro *2009 All-Rookie Selection (Sporting News, Pro Football Writers Association) *2009 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year *2011 Team Captain *2011 Team MVP *2011 AP-2nd Team All-Pro *2011 NFL.com ranked 54th best player overall

Coaching career

Houston Texans

On January 29, 2019, Cushing was hired to work with strength and conditioning coaches and offer some assistance to players on defense with the Houston Texans of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL).

Personal life

Cushing's mother, Antoinette, is of Polish descent; she was born in 1944 at a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

forced labor camp A labor camp (or labour camp, see spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons (espec ...

. His father, Frank, was an intelligence officer in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. His great great uncle was

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

veteran

Alonzo Cushing Alonzo Hereford Cushing (January 19, 1841 – July 3, 1863) was an artillery officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action during the Battle of Gettysburg while defending the Union position on Cemetery Ridge agai ...

, who was killed at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of th ...

and posthumously received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

. His brother, Michael Cushing, played Rugby during his time at Providence College, earning First-team All-American honors in both his junior and senior seasons. Cushing is married to his college sweetheart Megan, an athlete who had success on USC's women's soccer squad; they began dating just prior to Cushing's NFL draft. His sister-in-law is soccer player

Kealia Ohai Kealia Ohai Watt ( ; born Kealia Mae Ohai; January 31, 1992) is an American soccer player who is currently a free agent, who most recently played for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) from 2020-2021. She previous ...

, who is married to his former Texans teammate

J. J. Watt Justin James Watt (born March 22, 1989) is an American football defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Michigan and Wisconsin and was drafted by the Houston Texans i ...

. The Cushings have three sons together.

References

External links

USC profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cushing, Brian 1987 births Living people American Conference Pro Bowl players American football linebackers American sportspeople in doping cases American people of Polish descent Bergen Catholic High School alumni Doping cases in American football Houston Texans coaches Houston Texans players People from Park Ridge, New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey Sportspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey USC Trojans football players Ed Block Courage Award recipients