Husain Ibn Muhammed Abdullah (born July 27, 1985) is an 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 ...

safety Safety is the state 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 The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

. He was signed 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 ...

of 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) as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2008 and also played for 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 ...

. He retired from the NFL after seven seasons due to multiple

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

s sustained during his career and concern for his future health. Abdullah 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 ...

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

. He is the younger brother of former NFL safety Hamza Abdullah.

Early life

Abdullah attended Pomona High School and was most well known for his athletics. In high school, he received many honorable awards as he represented his school football team as captain. Abdullah is a defensive back and a contributor to the special teams unit as a kick returner. During Abdullah's sophomore year, he was awarded the team's defensive MVP and was nominated as rookie of the year. During his junior year, Abdullah won the All-Inland Valley award and as a senior, and stood as the number 9 ranked safety in the west coast.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Abdullah was an undrafted rookie who later signed with the

. He served as a backup from 2008 to 2009. Before the 2010 season he was named the starting

strong safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, 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 sa ...

. The competition in the offseason and preseason was thought to be between Tyrell Johnson and

Jamarca Sanford Jamarca Deshaun Sanford (born August 27, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football Safety (American and Canadian football position), safety. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL ...

, but Abdullah won the job. During the 2011 season, Abdullah became the starting

free safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...

, but a concussion (his fourth in 15 months) ended his season.

Kansas City Chiefs

After he returned from a year off, Abdullah accepted a one-year contract offer from the Chiefs, and played in all 16 games (starting 2) of the 2013 season; he also started the Chiefs' playoff game against

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, making 2 interceptions in that game to tie a team playoff record. An unrestricted free agent after the season, Abdullah re-signed with the Chiefs on March 12, 2014. During a Monday Night Football game on September 29, 2014, against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

, Abdullah intercepted a pass, returning it for a touchdown. He was given a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for sliding on his knees, then bowing down and giving praise in Islamic prostration. The next day, the NFL said the penalty was a misapplication of the relevant rule, and should not have been assessed. The penalty created much controversy on social media, including beyond America.

Retirement

Abdullah retired from football on March 28, 2016, citing concern over the five

s he had accumulated during his career. He later explained the decision further in an essay submitted to '' The Players Tribune''.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

Abdullah is the son to Yusuf and Sa'eeda Johnwell. He lived in a very large family, one of 12 children. As a practicing

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, Abdullah observes fasting in

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

—even during the football season. He sat out the 2012–2013 season to make

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

with his brother Hamza Abdullah, who was also in the NFL. He is a member of the

Alpha Lambda Mu Alpha Lambda Mu () (: Alif Laam Meem in Arabic) is the first national Muslim fraternity in America. It was established in 2013 at the University of Texas at Dallas as a social fraternity with an emphasis on community service. History Ali Mahmo ...

fraternity, America's first and only Muslim fraternity.

References

External links

*
Kansas City Chiefs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdullah, Husain 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Pomona, California Minnesota Vikings players Washington State Cougars football players African-American Muslims Kansas City Chiefs players American football safeties Muslims from California