Jason Shirley (born September 30, 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 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 ...

. He was selected by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

in the fifth round of the

2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...

. 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 ...

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

. He is currently coaching youth football in Southern California. He was also a member of 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Arizona Rattlers The Arizona Rattlers are a professional indoor American football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League ...

and Los Angeles Kiss.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Due to a lack of depth on the offensive line, Shirley switched from defensive tackle, the position he played for his first two NFL seasons, to offensive guard during 2009 training camp. Shirley was waived by the Cincinnati Bengals on September 5, 2009. He was signed to a reserve/future contract on January 11, 2010. He was released on September 3, 2011.

Seattle Seahawks

Shirley signed with the

on October 17, 2011. He was waived on October 22.

Carolina Panthers

Shirley signed on to the

' practice squad on November 8, 2011. Shirley was promoted from 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, ...

on December 7, 2011. He played in the final four games for the Panthers, recording four tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one forced-fumble.

Indianapolis Colts

Shirley signed with the

on July 19, 2012. He was released by the Colts on August 31.

Washington Redskins

Shirley was signed to the

of the

on September 3, 2012. He was released on September 11.

Arizona Rattlers

Shirley was placed on league suspension during the

ArenaBowl XXVI ArenaBowl XXVI was the 26th edition of the championship in the Arena Football League. The National Conference champion Arizona Rattlers, defeated the American Conference champion Philadelphia Soul, 48–39. The game was played on August 17, 201 ...

championship victory.

Los Angeles Kiss

Shirley was assigned to the Los Angeles Kiss on February 23, 2014.

WWE tryout

On October 28, 2014, Shirley was mentioned as a participant of tryout in

WWE Performance Center The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The promotion currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE wre ...

Personal life

In November 2008, a Fresno (Calif.) County judge sentenced Shirley to 30 days in a work program after a jury found him guilty of drunken driving and hit and run.

References

External links

Cincinnati Bengals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shirley, Jason 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Fontana, California American football offensive linemen American football defensive tackles Fresno State Bulldogs football players Cincinnati Bengals players Seattle Seahawks players Carolina Panthers players Arizona Rattlers players Los Angeles Kiss players Washington Redskins players Indianapolis Colts players