Husain Ibn Muhammed Abdullah (born July 27, 1985) 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 with ...

free safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...

. He was signed by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

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) 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 2008 and also played for the

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 ...

. He retired from the NFL after seven seasons due to multiple

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

s sustained during his career and concern for his future health. Abdullah 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 ...

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

. He is the younger brother of former NFL safety Hamza Abdullah.

High school

Abdullah attended Pomona High School and was most well known for his athletics. In high school, Abdullah received many honorable awards as he represented his school football team as captain. Abdullah is a defensive back and also is a contributor to the special teams unit as a kick returner. During Abdullah's sophomore year, he was awarded the team's defensive MVP and was nominated as rookie of the year. During his junior year, Abdullah won the All-Inland Valley award and as a senior, Abdullah stood as the number 9 ranked safety in the west coast.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Abdullah was an undrafted rookie who later signed with the

. He served as a backup from 2008 to 2009. Before the 2010 season he was named the starting

strong safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...

. The competition in the offseason and preseason was thought to be between Tyrell Johnson and

Jamarca Sanford Jamarca Deshaun Sanford (born August 27, 1985) is former American football safety. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft as the 231st pick. He formerly played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels ...

, but Abdullah won the job. During the 2011 season, Abdullah became the starting

, but a concussion (his fourth in 15 months) ended his season.

Kansas City Chiefs

After he returned from a year off, Abdullah accepted a one-year contract offer from the Chiefs, and played in all 16 games (starting 2) of the 2013 season; he also started the Chiefs' playoff game against

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, making 2 interceptions in that game to tie a team playoff record. An unrestricted free agent after the season, Abdullah re-signed with the Chiefs on March 12, 2014. During a Monday Night Football game on September 29, 2014 against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

, Abdullah intercepted a pass, returning it for a touchdown. He was given a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for sliding on his knees, then bowing down and giving praise in Islamic salutation. The next day, the NFL said the penalty was a misapplication of the relevant rule, and should not have been assessed. The penalty created much controversy on social media, including beyond America.

Retirement

Abdullah retired from football on March 28, 2016, citing concern over the five

s he had accumulated during his career. He later explained the decision further in an essay submitted to ''

The Players Tribune ''The Players' Tribune'' is a new media platform that produces daily sports conversation and publishes first-person stories from professional athletes. The platform was founded by former professional Major League Baseball player Derek Jeter in ...

''.

Personal life

Abdullah is the son to Yusuf and Sa'eeda Johnwell. He lived in a very large family, one of 12 children. As a practicing

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, Abdullah observes fasting in

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

—even during the football season. He sat out the 2012–2013 season to make

Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

with his brother Hamza Abdullah, who was also in the NFL. He is a member of the

Alpha Lambda Mu Alpha Lambda Mu () (:Alif Laam Meem in Arabic) is the first national Muslim fraternity in America. Alpha Lambda Mu was named for three letters that start several chapters of the Quran: Alif Laam Meem. The Fraternity was created by founder Ali Mah ...

fraternity, America's first and only Muslim fraternity.

References

External links

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Kansas City Chiefs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdullah, Husain 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Los Angeles Minnesota Vikings players Washington State Cougars football players African-American Muslims Kansas City Chiefs players American football safeties People from Pomona, California