Jamaal Akeem Westerman (born February 21, 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 ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

who is currently a

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 ...

coach for

Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...

. He was signed by the

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

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

and was named to the Second–team All–Big East team two times. Westerman played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

, at St. Thomas Aquinas High School before moving to

Brampton, Ontario Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it th ...

and attending Notre Dame Secondary School. In the NFL, Westerman has been a member of the

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

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

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. ...

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

and

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 ( ...

. In the CFL he has been a member of the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

, and

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

Early years

Westerman was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, on February 21, 1985. He and his family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where Westerman began his high school career at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Following his freshman season, he moved, this time to Brampton, Ontario, and enrolled at Notre Dame Secondary School. Westerman started every year he was there and led both the team and league in tackles and sacks. After graduating from Notre Dame in 2004 he was considered a two-star prospect 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 ...

''. Rutgers, Boise State and

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan cor ...

all recruited him and all offered him scholarships. He eventually accepted Rutgers' scholarship offer.

College career

Westerman received three

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

offers from

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) colleges before accepting one from Rutgers. After redshirting in 2004, Westerman made a quick impression on the Rutgers coaching staff after recording six tackles in two games to begin 2005. In the

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

game, Westerman recorded a sack on

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 ...

Dustin Grutza Dustin may refer to: Places in the United States * Dustin, Nebraska * Dustin Township, Holt County, Nebraska * Dustin, Oklahoma Other uses * Dustin (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Dustin ...

which forced a fumble. Before the 2006 season, Westerman was involved in a car accident with teammates Willie Foster and Corey Hyman. Westerman and Foster were uninjured while Hyman required two stitches in his forehead. On September 29, against

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

, Westerman sacked quarterback

Matt Grothe Matt Grothe (born September 8, 1986) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at South Florida. Early years Grothe attended Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland, Florida and was a letterman in football. In football, he ...

for a five-yard loss. After the month of September, Westerman had eight tackles and two and a half sacks. Through eight games, Westerman was the team leader in sacks with six. Against

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, Westerman blocked a punt and recovered a fumble by Connecticut quarterback D. J. Hernandez. Both the punt and fumble recovery were returned for a touchdown. Westerman also recorded two and a half sacks in the game. By the final game in the season, Westerman and defensive end William Beckford had a combined 59 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss with 10 sacks. In the

Texas Bowl The Texas Bowl is an annual postseason NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game first held in 2006 in Houston, Texas. Each edition of the bowl has been played at NRG Stadium, previously known as Reliant Stadium. The bowl replaced ...

against the

Kansas State Wildcats The Kansas State Wildcats (variously "Kansas State", "K-State", or "KSU") are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Kansas State University. The official color of the teams is Royal Purple; white and silver are generally used as c ...

, Westerman sacked

Josh Freeman twice and recovered a Freeman fumble. Westerman was named second–team All–Big East following the season along with teammates

Brian Leonard Brian Leonard (born February 3, 1984) is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers. Leonard also played for the Cincinnati Benga ...

, Cameron Stephenson,

Pedro Sosa Pedro Sosa (born February 6, 1987) is a former American football offensive tackle for the Hartford Colonials of the defunct United Football League. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college footba ...

Jeremy Ito Jeremy Ito (born March 4, 1986) is a former placekicker and punter for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights NCAA Division I-A football team. He was most recently a kicker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. Ito is half Japanes ...

, Ramel Meekins, Devraun Thompson, Ron Girault and

Courtney Greene Courtney Greene (born November 23, 1986 in New Rochelle, New York) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2009 NFL Draft and played three seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college footb ...

. During spring practice, Westerman and two other starter defensive linemen missed the annual intersquad scrimmage due to injuries. In Rutgers' 59–0 win over

Norfolk State Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership. History The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 ...

, Westerman recorded one sack on quarterback Casey Hansen. Against Syracuse and South Florida, Westerman recorded two sacks which gave him six for the season. Following the season, Westerman and Rutgers earned a bid to play in the

International Bowl The International Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) collegiate American football bowl game played in Toronto from 2007 through 2010. During its run, it was the only post-season bowl game played outside the United States ...

against Ball State. The game was played in his hometown of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. According to Westerman he received numerous questions from teammates about Toronto, including "What's the weather like?" Beginning in March 2008, Rutgers attempted to convert Westerman to

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 ...

, so he could replace the departed Eric Foster. However, Westerman ended up playing defensive end during the season. Against Morgan State, Westerman blocked a punt and recovered the loose ball. Westerman suffered a torn biceps against

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

and was forced to sit out the rest of the season which included a bowl game. Despite his injury, he led Rutgers with six sacks on the season. Westerman ended his collegiate career with 26 sacks, 141 tackles and 45 tackles for a loss. His career sack total ranked him third highest in Rutgers school history.

Professional playing career

New York Jets

Westerman was signed by the

as an

on April 27, 2009. On June 9, 2009, Jets head coach

Rex Ryan Rex Ashley Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American former football coach and analyst. Ryan was formerly the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and also held various coaching position ...

said that he expected Westerman to make the team's final roster. He ended up making the final roster as an outside linebacker and recorded two tackles and a sack in his debut against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

on September 13. On October 9, 2011, Westerman recorded 5 tackles along with 2 sacks 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 ...

but in a losing effort while the Jets lost 30–21.

Miami Dolphins

Westerman signed with the

on March 15, 2012. He was waived during the final cuts before ever playing a regular season game for the

Arizona Cardinals

On September 1, Westerman was claimed off waivers by the

. After making just one tackle in five games for the team, he was waived on November 20.

Indianapolis Colts

On December 4, Westerman signed with the

Buffalo Bills

On August 14, 2013, Westerman was signed by the

. After appearing in 12 games with the Bills in 2013, Westerman was waived on December 10, 2013.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Westerman signed with the

on December 17, 2013, after a season-ending injury to linebacker

LaMarr Woodley LaMarr Dewayne Woodley (born November 3, 1984) is a former American football outside linebacker. He played college football at Michigan, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seco ...

. He appeared in one game for the Steelers during the 2013 NFL season.

Cleveland Browns

On July 24, 2014, Westerman signed with the

. He was released by the Browns on August 30, 2014, as they trimmed their roster down to 53 players.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

On May 7, 2015, Westerman signed with the

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He appeared in 17 games in 2015, registering 17 sacks and receiving the Western nomination for Most Outstanding Canadian. Unfortunately for Westerman,

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) ( French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Startin ...

receiver

Brad Sinopoli Bradley Sinopoli (born April 14, 1988) is a former Canadian football wide receiver who played for nine years in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was originally a quarterback with the Calgary Stampeders before being converted to wide receive ...

would end up winning the award for Most Outstanding Canadian. He followed up his outstanding 2015 season with two more strong seasons in Winnipeg, compiling 65 more tackles, 15 quarterback sacks and three forced fumbles.

Montreal Alouettes

On February 14, 2018, the first day of free agency, Westerman signed with the

; joining his brother

Jabar Westerman Jabar Akil Westerman (born May 13, 1989) is a professional defensive lineman for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Westerman played college football with the Eastern Michigan Eagles football, Eastern Michigan Eagles fo ...

. Westerman played five games for the Alouettes, contributing with 19 defensive tackles and three sacks.

Hamilton Tiger Cats

On July 22, 2018, Westerman was traded to the

along with international wide receiver Chris Williams and two first-round draft selections (2020, 2021) as part of a blockbuster trade for quarterback

Johnny Manziel Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the FCF Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and was also a mem ...

. Westerman played in eight regular season games for the Ti-Cats, registering 10 tackles before being placed on the 6-game injured list on September 28, 2018 with an

Achilles tendon rupture Achilles tendon rupture is when the Achilles tendon, at the back of the ankle, breaks. Symptoms include the sudden onset of sharp pain in the heel. A snapping sound may be heard as the tendon breaks and walking becomes difficult. Rupture typica ...

. Mid-way through the 2019 season Westerman was getting close to returning to action while recovering from his Achilles injury, but suffered a torn

triceps The triceps, or triceps brachii (Latin for "three-headed muscle of the arm"), is a large muscle on the back of the upper limb of many vertebrates. It consists of 3 parts: the medial, lateral, and long head. It is the muscle principally responsibl ...

in practice, which prompted the team to place him on the injured reserve list revealing he would miss the remainder of the season.

Coaching career

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Westerman was named a defensive

graduate assistant A graduate assistant serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The assistant typically helps professors with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants or with academic research respons ...

for Rutgers, under his former head coach

Greg Schiano Gregory Edward Schiano (born June 1, 1966) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at Rutgers University, a position he held from 2001 to 2011 and resumed before the 2020 season. Schiano served as the head coach for the Tampa ...

Personal

Westerman's brother, Jawann, walked onto the Rutgers football team as a wide receiver after Westerman encouraged him to do so. His other brother,

, was a first round draft pick of the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

in the 2012

college draft.

References

External links

*
New York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westerman, Jamaal 1985 births Living people African-American players of American football American football defensive ends American football linebackers Arizona Cardinals players Buffalo Bills players Cleveland Browns players Indianapolis Colts players Miami Dolphins players New York Jets players Sportspeople from Brampton Pittsburgh Steelers players Rutgers Scarlet Knights football players Sportspeople from Brooklyn Players of American football from New York City Montreal Alouettes players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Canadian football defensive linemen 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people