Clint Kofi Sintim (born February 21, 1986) is the linebackers coach for the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
football team and 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 ...
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
who played in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
. He was drafted by the
New York Giants in the second round of 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. ...
. He played
college football at
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
.
Early years
A native of
Fairfax County, Virginia, Sintim attended
Gar-Field Senior High School
Gar-Field Senior High School is a senior high school in Woodbridge in unincorporated Prince William County, Virginia, USA, with students in grades 9 through 12. Established in 1953, it was originally located at 15941 Cardinal Drive until the ...
, where he made 35 tackles and had three
quarterback sacks as a senior and earned first-team all-state and SuperPrep All-American honors. Sintim broke his left leg playing for Gar-Field's boys basketball team on January 13. He is of Ghanaian descent.
Considered a three-star recruit by ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
'', Sintim was listed as the No. 30 strongside defensive end prospect in the nation. He picked Virginia over Tennessee and Virginia Tech on February 2, 2004.
College career
Sintim lined up as rush linebacker in Virginia's
3-4 defense. He led the NCAA in sacks by a linebacker his senior year. He ranked third on the team with 70 tackles (38 solos) and had eleven sacks and thirteen stops for losses in 2008. Additionally, he caused a fumble and recovered two others and deflected three passes
In 2007, he started all 13 games and had 78 tackles, with 44 being solo and nine going for a loss. He also had nine sacks and forced three fumbles and was second on the team behind
Chris Long
Christopher Howard Long (born March 28, 1985) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. The son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long and older brother of NFL guard Kyle Lon ...
with 17 quarterback pressures. The previous season, 2006, he started all twelve games and had 45 tackles (22 solo) with 10 of them going for a loss. He also had four sacks and forced a fumble and recovered one and had five quarterback pressures.
Professional career
2009 NFL Draft
New York Giants
Sintim was drafted in the second round of 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. ...
by the
New York Giants on April 25, 2009. On July 30, the Giants announced that they had signed Sintim to the roster. Eventually, he was expected to replace the Danny Clark/Bryan Kehl linebacker position. Sintim made his debut on October 11, 2009 against the
Oakland Raiders in
Giants Stadium. He recorded 4 tackles in the game. Three were solo and one assist. Sintim ended his rookie season with a total of 20 Tackles (14 Solo, 6 Assisted) 1.0 sack and 1 tackle for a loss in 11 games. In 2010, he recorded a total of 13 tackles (7 Solo, 6 Assisted) and appeared in 13 games. Sintim tore his ACL twice and never played in 2011. In 2012, he entered training camp on the
physically unable to perform list and was eventually waived on August 16, 2012 after failing a team physical. On May 6, 2013, he announced his retirement.
References
External links
Delaware football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sintim, Clint
1986 births
Living people
American football linebackers
American people of Ghanaian descent
Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football coaches
New York Giants players
People from Woodbridge, Virginia
Players of American football from Virginia
Richmond Spiders football coaches
Sportspeople from Fairfax County, Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers football coaches
Virginia Cavaliers football players
West Alabama Tigers football coaches