Nathaniel Webster Jr. (born November 29, 1977) 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 ...

player who was a

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 ...

for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

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). He was selected by the Buccaneers in the third round of the

2000 NFL draft The 2000 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15– 16, 2000, at the Theat ...

. He played

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for the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

. Webster was a two-time All-

Big East The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

selection who recorded 301 tackles, 14 tackles-for-losses and 7 sacks in just 22 starts in college. Webster entered the

following his junior season at Miami, and was selected by the

in third round with the 90th overall selection. He was traded in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

to Cincinnati. In

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, he was signed by the

as a free agent.

Legal troubles

While playing for the

football team, on October 16, 1999, Webster was arrested in

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, for false imprisonment after he allegedly grabbed Natalie Brady (an ex-girlfriend) by the neck, threw her to the ground, and shoved her into a vehicle in which he was riding with a friend. A witness called police, who caught Webster fleeing in the vehicle. Webster pleaded not guilty to a reduced charge of three counts of battery, which were later dropped after Webster entered and completed a pre-trial diversion program. However, Brady filed a civil lawsuit, which was settled for an undisclosed amount in November 2001. On June 10, 2011, Webster was indicted for sexual battery, gross sexual imposition and five counts of unlawful sexual contact with a minor. He is charged with having sex with a 15-year-old girl, the daughter of a former assistant coach for the Cincinnati team, and was arrested on July 21. According to an indictment unsealed subsequent to his arrest, Webster used guns to intimidate the girl into keeping their relationship quiet. The girl said he told her if she revealed the relationship, he would kill her and her family, Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters said. Prior to the incident, he was working as a coach at Bellevue High School in

Bellevue, Kentucky Bellevue is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is located along the southern bank of the Ohio River. The population was 5,548 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

. A jury trial was conducted in April 2012. The jury convicted him in April on four counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, and he could have been sentenced to up to 36 years. He was, however, found not guilty of three other charges: gross sexual imposition, sexual battery and a fifth count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. On June 6, 2012, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Prosecutors said Webster rejected a proposed plea deal prior to the trial that would have sent him to prison for four years.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Nate 1977 births Living people Miami Hurricanes football players American football middle linebackers Miami Northwestern Senior High School alumni Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Cincinnati Bengals players Denver Broncos players American people convicted of child sexual abuse American sportspeople convicted of crimes