Damien A. Richardson (born April 3, 1976) is a former

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

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 played his entire career for 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. T ...

from 1998–2004. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. While playing at Arizona State, Richardson received a Woody Hayes National Scholar-Athlete Award. He was also honored as a National Football Foundation Hall Scholar-Athlete, and was a GTE Academic All-District VIII selection. As a senior in 1997, Richardson was a Second-team All-Pac-10 member. Richardson was drafted in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. Richardson's career with the Panthers was ended by serious injuries to his neck and knee. He subsequently attended medical school, completed a master's degree in public health at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, and is an orthopedic physician at Banner – University Medical Center.The Football Players Health Study at Harvard University
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References

1976 births Living people Players of American football from Los Angeles American football safeties Arizona State Sun Devils football players Carolina Panthers players Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health alumni American physicians {{defensiveback-1970s-stub