Anthony “Fish” Smithson
(born March 18, 1994) is a former
American football free safety
Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at the
University of Kansas. He was signed by the
Washington Redskins as an
undrafted free agent in 2017. He also played for the
Baltimore Ravens.
College career
Hartnell
Smithson initially committed to play at
Hartnell College out of high school where he played his freshman year.
Kansas
Following his freshman year at Hartnell, he transferred to the
University of Kansas.
In 2015, he led the nation in solo tackles, which led to him being named Second-team All-Big 12. In 2016 he was named First-team All-Big 12.
Professional career
Washington Redskins
After going undrafted in the
2017 NFL Draft
The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
, Smithson signed with the
Washington Redskins as an
undrafted free agent. He was waived on September 2, 2017 during roster cutdowns. The following day, he was signed to the Redskins' practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on December 19, 2017.
On September 1, 2018, Smithson was waived for final roster cuts before the start of the 2018 season.
Arizona Cardinals
On December 19, 2018, Smithson was signed to the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
practice squad. He was released six days later.
Los Angeles Chargers
On January 3, 2019, Smithson was signed to the
Los Angeles Chargers practice squad.
Jacksonville Jaguars
On July 25, 2019, Smithson signed with the
Jacksonville Jaguars, but was waived on August 4.
Baltimore Ravens
On August 27, 2019, Smithson signed with the
Baltimore Ravens. He was placed on injured reserve on August 31, 2019 and was released on March 18, 2020.
Personal life
Smithson's brother, Antoine "Shaky" Smithson, played
wide receiver at the
University of Utah and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
in 2011 but was shortly released off of injured reserve with an injury settlement. His nickname "Fish" was given to him by his grandmother as a child due to his
fear of fish.
References
External links
Kansas football profileWashington Redskins bio
1994 births
Living people
Players of American football from Baltimore
American football safeties
Hartnell Panthers football players
Kansas Jayhawks football players
Washington Redskins players
Arizona Cardinals players
Los Angeles Chargers players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
Baltimore Ravens players
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