Erasmus James (born November 4, 1982) is a Kittitan-born former professional

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

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

who played 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

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the College athletics in the United States, athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I ...

, and earned consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors. He was selected by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

in the first round of the

2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...

. He also played for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

, as well as for the

New Mexico Stars The New Mexico Stars were a professional Indoor American football, indoor football team based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The Stars played their home games at the Santa Ana Star Center. They began play in the Indoor Football League (IFL) during t ...

of the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...

(IFL).

Early life

James was born in

Basseterre Basseterre (; Saint Kitts Creole: ''Basterre'') is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south-wester ...

Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Less ...

. He attended

McArthur High School McArthur High School is located in Hollywood, Florida. It serves students from both Hollywood and Pembroke Pines in grades 9 through 12. The school is a part of the Broward County Public Schools district. History Alfred Ryll (former Mayor ...

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

, and was a standout for the McArthur Mustangs high school football and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

teams. Despite not playing football until his senior year, he posted 14

quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackle (football move), tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the l ...

s, and 53

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

(23 for losses) in his only season.

College career

James attended the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

, and played for the

Wisconsin Badgers football The Wisconsin Badgers football program represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the sport of American football. Wisconsin competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Bi ...

team from 2001 to 2004. He played on the defensive line alongside teammate

Anttaj Hawthorne Anttaj Hawthorne (born November 15, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive lineman for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers. He was ...

and Jonathan Clinkscale. He finished his career with 124 tackles (25.5 for losses), 18 sacks, 28 quarterback hurries, seven forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and six pass deflections. James was nicknamed "the Eraser" for his ability to sack opposing quarterbacks. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and was recognized as a consensus first-team

following his senior season in 2004.

Professional career

325-pound bench press. 600-pound squat.

Minnesota Vikings

James was selected by the

in the first round with the 18th overall pick in the

. During his rookie year, he compiled 28 total tackles and four sacks. James missed most of the 2006 and 2007 seasons with injuries. The Vikings made their intentions clear to

waive A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege. A waiver is often written, such as a disclaimer that has been accepted, but it may also be spoken between two or more parties. When the right to hold a p ...

James on May 23, 2008, but later rescinded the waiver after the Washington Redskins offered a conditional 2009 seventh-round draft choice. He finished his injury-plagued career with the Vikings with 37 tackles and 5 sacks.

Washington Redskins

On May 27, 2008, the Vikings agreed to trade James to the

for a conditional seventh-round pick in the

2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL draft was the 74th 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. The draft c ...

. He appeared in five games for the Redskins in 2008 but did not record any statistics and was eventually waived on December 9, 2008.

NFL statistics

Personal life

James currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In November 2009, James was arrested and charged with felony battery after a bar fight in Madison. He entered a program for first-time offenders but did not complete the requirements of the program.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Erasmus 1982 births Living people People from Basseterre All-American college football players American football defensive ends Minnesota Vikings players Saint Kitts and Nevis emigrants to the United States Saint Kitts and Nevis players of American football Washington Redskins players Wisconsin Badgers football players New Mexico Stars players