Cecil Newton Jr. (born March 20, 1986) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

. He was signed by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...

in 2009. He played college football at

Tennessee State Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennes ...

. He is the son of Cecil Newton Sr. and older brother of

Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NF ...

. He was also a member of the

Hartford Colonials The Hartford Colonials, originally the New York Sentinels, were a professional American football team that played in the United Football League in its 2009 and 2010 seasons. A charter member of the UFL, the Sentinels began play in 2009 nominally ...

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

, Green Bay Packers and

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

After going undrafted in the

2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...

, Newton was signed by the

as an

on April 26. He was waived during final cuts on September 5 and re-signed to the team's practice squad the following day. The Jaguars promoted Newton to the active roster on December 21.

Hartford Colonials

Newton was drafted by the

with the 11th overall pick in the

2011 UFL Draft The 2011 UFL Draft was the third and final draft of the United Football League. The draft took place on Monday, May 2, 2011. The draft was held over a period of 10 rounds during which each of the five UFL teams was allowed one pick per round, in re ...

. After the Colonials' suspension of operations for the 2011 season, Newton's rights were acquired by the

Omaha Nighthawks The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. During their first season, the Nighthawks played their home gam ...

in a dispersal draft.

New Orleans Saints

On August 1, 2011, Newton signed with the

, but was waived on September 3 and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. However, he was released from the practice squad on September 5.

Green Bay Packers

On October 13, 2011, Newton was signed to the Green Bay Packers' practice squad following injuries to starters

Chad Clifton Jeffrey Chad Clifton (born June 26, 1976) is a former American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at the University of Tennessee and wa ...

and

Bryan Bulaga Bryan Joseph Bulaga ( ; born March 21, 1989) is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Iowa. Bulaga was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He won Super Bowl ...

. He was released on October 23.

Baltimore Ravens

On November 28, 2011, Newton was signed to the

practice squad.

Personal life

His father, Cecil Newton Sr., played college football, as a safety and linebacker, for

Savannah State ) , established = , closed = , type = Public historically black university , parent = University System of Georgia , academic_affiliation = Space-grant , endowment ...

, and was cut from the pre-season rosters of the 1983

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

and 1984 Buffalo Bills, as a safety on both teams. His brother

won the 2010 Heisman Trophy while playing quarterback for Auburn University, and won the 2010 National Championship during his tenure there. He was the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

References

External links

Jacksonville Jaguars bioTennessee State Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Cecil 1986 births Living people Players of American football from Atlanta Players of American football from Savannah, Georgia American football centers Tennessee State Tigers football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Hartford Colonials players New Orleans Saints players Green Bay Packers players