Jonathan Massaquoi (born 11 May 1988) is a Liberian 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 ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He was selected by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

in the fifth round of the

2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

. 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 ...

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

College career

After playing his high school football at Central Gwinnett High School, Massaquoi attended Butler County Community College for a year before transferring to

Troy University Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. It was one ...

. During his two years at Troy he recorded 128 tackles and 19.5 sacks. On 13 January 2012, Massaquoi announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

Massaquoi was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 5th round (164th overall) in the 2012 NFL draft. He was waived on 27 February 2015.

Tennessee Titans

Massaquoi was claimed off waivers on 3 March 2015 by the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. On 6 September 2015, he was waived by the Titans.

Kansas City Chiefs

Massaquoi signed with 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 ...

on 9 March 2016. On 28 August 2016, Massaquoi was waived by the Chiefs.

Birmingham Iron

In 2018, Massaquoi signed with the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football for the 2019 season. In the season opener against the

Memphis Express The Memphis Express was a professional American football Franchise (sports), franchise based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was a member of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) during its single season in 2019. They played their home games at Lib ...

, Massaquoi recorded two sacks with seven tackles.

Calgary Stampeders

After the AAF ceased operations in April 2019, Massaquoi signed with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

on 17 May 2019.

Dallas Renegades

In 2019, Massaquoi was selected by the

Dallas Renegades The Arlington Renegades are a professional American football team based in Arlington, Texas. The Renegades compete in the United Football League (2024), United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded as the D ...

in the 2020 XFL Draft. He was waived during final roster cuts on 22 January 2020.

DC Defenders

Massaquoi was claimed off waivers by the

DC Defenders The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The Defenders compete in the United Football League (2024), United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMaho ...

on 22 January 2020. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on 10 April 2020.

References

External links

Atlanta Falcons bio

Troy Trojans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Massaquoi, Jonathan 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Lawrenceville, Georgia Sportspeople from Monrovia Players of American football from Gwinnett County, Georgia Liberian players of American football American football defensive ends American football linebackers Butler Grizzlies football players Troy Trojans football players Atlanta Falcons players Tennessee Titans players Kansas City Chiefs players Birmingham Iron players Dallas Renegades players DC Defenders players Canadian football linebackers Calgary Stampeders players Players of Canadian football from Georgia (U.S. state) Liberian players of Canadian football