David Ja Rodd Irving (born August 18, 1993) is an

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 with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

who is a

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 ...

. He also played for the

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 divisi ...

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

, and Las Vegas Raiders of 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 ...

(NFL). 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 ...

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

Early years

Irving grew up in Compton, California, but moved to San Jacinto as a youth and attended San Jacinto High School, where he played

and

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

as a senior, recording 76 tackles (15 for loss), 7 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 19 receptions for 298 yards and 4

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

s. He accepted a scholarship from

. He became a starter after switching from

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

to defensive tackle as a junior, while posting 8 starts, 19 tackles (4.5 for loss) and 2 sacks. He missed the entire 2014 season after being dismissed from the team following an incident at the VEISHEA festival. He finished his college career with 32 games (8 starts), 44 tackles (7.5 for loss), 3 sacks, one forced fumble, one interception returned for a

, 8 passes defensed and 3 blocked kicks.

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

Irving was signed 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 ...

by the

after the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

. He was waived on September 5 and signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

Dallas Cowboys

2015 season

On September 29,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, he was signed by the

from the Chiefs

, to replace a released

Davon Coleman Davon Coleman (born January 11, 1991) is an American gridiron football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He most recently played for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). In college, he first enrolled at Fort Scott Com ...

. He was used as a backup defensive tackle and had 14

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

pressures (sixth on the team) in limited opportunities. He blocked a field goal in the seventh game of the season against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

. He suffered a left wrist fracture in the fifteenth game against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

and was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on December 30.

2016 season

On October 16, 2016, in a 30–16 win against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

Irving was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week, when he forced three fumbles, recovering one, had a sack, and batted down a pass. Irving played only 19 snaps in the game. He was ejected from a game against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

on November 6. In the fourth quarter of the week 15 game against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, Irving had two tackles, one and a half sacks, 2 of his 5 quarterback pressures, a pass defended and a play where he hit

Jameis Winston Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he became the youngest player to win the He ...

's arm just as he was releasing a pass that ended up being intercepted. Irving's play also led to Tampa Bay personnel and coverage changes that created opportunities for other Cowboys players, including rookie

Maliek Collins Maliek Collins Sr. (born April 8, 1995) is an American football defensive tackle for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska. Early years Collins was born on April 8, 1995, in Kansas Ci ...

sacking Winston with one minute left to play, which set up a game-sealing interception by

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

Orlando Scandrick Orlando Lee Scandrick (born February 10, 1987) is an American sports commentator and former American football cornerback. He played college football at Boise State University and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2008 ...

. In the 2017 Divisional playoff game against the

, Irving claims that in the final snap of the game the officials missed a holding call committed by guard

T. J. Lang Thomas John "T. J." Lang (born September 20, 1987) is a former American football guard. He played college football at Eastern Michigan and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Lang was a member of the P ...

against him. During that play,

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the ...

made a completion to

Jared Cook Jared Alan Cook (born April 7, 1987) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of South Carolina and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He has ...

with Cook's maintaining his feet a few inches inbounds from the sidelines. That completion set up a 51-yard Mason Crosby field goal to win the game with only three seconds on the clock.

2017 season

On March 6, 2017, Irving re-signed with the Cowboys. On May 23, it was announced that Irving would be suspended four games due to violating the league's performance enhancing drugs policy. He dropped his appeal and was officially suspended the first four games of the 2017 season. After joining the team, he was moved from

to the three-technique defensive tackle position. He suffered a concussion in the twelfth game against the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

, which was complicated by the fact that he kept playing through it. The lingering symptoms he experienced afterwards forced the team to declare him inactive for the rest of the season. Despite missing the first four games because of his suspension, and the final four because of a concussion, Irving still accrued seven sacks (second on the team), 19 quarterback pressures, 12 tackles (3 for loss), 6 passes defensed and one forced fumble. At the time of his concussion in Week 13, Irving was leading all defensive tackles in the NFL in sacks.

2018 season

On March 14, 2018, the Cowboys placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Irving. On June 15, it was announced that due to violating the NFL's Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse, Irving would again be suspended for the first four games of the regular season. The Cowboys placed Irving on the reserve/did not report list on July 25 to start training camp, as he dealt with his off-field issues. He was added to the active roster on October 6 after serving his four-game suspension. Irving played in two regular season games, both in October, registering four tackles and one sack. He suffered a high ankle sprain during practice on November 1, and did not play again. On March 1, 2019, Irving was indefinitely suspended by the NFL for again violating the league's policy on substances of abuse. A few days later, he announced that he was quitting football because he was opposed to the NFL's drug policy, specifically with regards to

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

. He was conditionally reinstated by the NFL on October 16, 2020, and he worked out for the Las Vegas Raiders the next day.

Las Vegas Raiders

On October 20, 2020, Irving was signed to the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on October 24 and November 14 for the team's weeks 7 and 10 games against the

and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was placed on the practice squad/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

list by the team on November 18, and restored to the practice squad three days later. He was elevated to the active roster again on November 21 for the week 11 game against the

, and reverted to the practice squad again following the game. He was placed back on the practice squad/COVID-19 list on December 22, 2020, and restored to the practice squad again on December 29. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 11, 2021. On February 18, 2021, Irving re-signed with the Raiders. He was released on May 21, 2021.

Career statistics

Personal life

Following his indefinite suspension from the NFL in March 2019, Irving became an activist for cannabis. He co-founded his own cannabis advocacy magazine called Cannabis Passport with John Scannell who originally invented the Worlds First Rolling paper magazine.

References

External links

Dallas Cowboys bioCowboys' David Irving on horrors of a childhood in Compton and low point that helped him get his life in orderTwitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irving, David 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Compton, California American football defensive ends Iowa State Cyclones football players Kansas City Chiefs players Dallas Cowboys players Las Vegas Raiders players Doping cases in American football