The NFL’s Standard of Exellence; Oakland Raiders Corner Nnamdi Asomugha

by Ross Buran

What comes to mind when you think of the name Nnamdi Asomugha? Probably the fact that it is a peculiar name and the difficulty involved in pronouncing it. But after that, one might think All-Pro Cornerback, first round draft choice, or college football standout. Those are the obvious things, but when he takes off the pads, it turns out he is quite a stand-up guy, to say the least. Ron “Jaws” Jowarski claims, “Nnamdi plays with great intelligence…” However, it turns out, he not only plays with it, but he carries it into his other endeavors as well. But first things first, it’s NAM-Dee Aso-MU-Wah.

Asomugha works with Bill on the Clinton Initiative

Now I’ve always been a fan of Nnamdi’s, and not only because of his fun name. He is one of the premier corners in the NFL, and not many people can deny that. Plus, it takes a lot of character to be the lone shining star on the sinking ship that is the Oakland Raiders. In seven years he has manages to record 291 tackles, 11 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. Not to mention being selected to three Pro Bowls, the most recent of which was this year. All the while the Raiders have managed to rummage up a less than impressive 29 – 71 record.

Now, while all of his accolades on the field certainly speak for themselves, I’m far more impressed with what he does off the field. Nnamdi is no stranger to community service and he works continually with the Orphans and Widows In Need Foundation doing his part to help provide support to individuals in Nigeria. An Oakland Raiders employee, Elena Valenzuela said “He would always do what was asked and more and this is a variety of events. This is not only Nnamdi giving food donations and participating at the food bank. This is Nnamdi going to read books to kids, going to community events for the fight against breast cancer, the fight against AIDS. There are so many things that he is involved with.”

Nnamdi also accompanied former President Bill Clinton at the 2009 meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative where they discussed the importance of Global Service and Activism. Here Nnamdi shared with them his efforts in both Nigeria, as well as Oakland, California. Not bad for a NFL player, huh? On top of this, he outfits incoming freshman at Narbonne High School in Los Angeles with backpacks each year and even wrote a section into his endorsement contract with Nike that demands their football and basketball teams be supplied with shoes. Oh yeah, he also has a college tour program in which he takes high school kids across the country to look at prospective colleges.

Born on the 6^th of July 1981, Nnamdi was raised in Los Angeles, California. He is an alumnus to the aforementioned Narbonne High School, where, as you might imagine, he was a standout athlete. From there, he went to play at the University of California, at Berkeley. During his time at Cal, he was a flat-out stud, ending his career with 187 tackles and a degree in Corporate Finance.  Yes, you read that right.  Corporate Finance.   Nnamdi is a descendant of the Igbo, an ethnic group of Nigeria; this explains his name, which translates to “Jesus Lives”.

After his playing days run out, Nnamdi hopes to pursue a career in broadcasting, which he has already begun to pursue through a co-host gig on NBC Bay Area and is a regular during the football season on 98.1 KISS FM.

However, it has recently come to my attention that Nnamdi was talking on his cell phone during a Pro Bowl walk through. Now I don’t find this to be a major offense, considering the game is, well, a joke, but please, Nnamdi, leave the cell phone antics to you’re attention starved offensive counterparts, like Chad Johnson (I will refer to him by his given name and not grant him the attention he cries for) and Terrell Owens.

In my one year as third string cornerback for my varsity high school football team, I was always reminded of the old adage “the best cornerback never hears his name called” and in many instances that is true. But Nnamdi Asomugha is one cornerback that should be talked about more because he has been noteworthy both on and off the field. And I don’t know about you, but I find comfort in the fact that for every Plaxico Burress or Michael Vick, there is someone like Nnamdi Asomugha that takes his success and uses it to do something worthwhile.  Thanks Nnamdi, Cheers.