Junior Jovais Galette (born March 27, 1988) is a Haitian born 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 wi ...
Temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
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 ...
with the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
. Galette has also played for 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 ...
.
High school
Junior Galette was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. After moving to the US, Galette started as linebacker for Ramapo High School in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. Following his sophomore season, Galette transferred as a scholarship athlete to
Saint Joseph Regional High School
Saint Joseph Regional High School (known as SJR, St. Joe's or Joe's) is a private, Roman Catholic, college preparatory school for boys, located on a campus in Montvale, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school operates under th ...
in
Montvale, New Jersey
Montvale is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 7,844,Devin and
Jason McCourty
Jason McCourty (born August 13, 1987) is a former American football cornerback who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round, 203rd overall, in the 2009 NFL Draft, he also played f ...
, Galette led the football team to victory in its state Non-Public Group III title game, adding to the school's then-streak of six straight championship titles under head coach Tony Karcich. Galette continued to carry the St. Joseph football team, even without the graduated McCourty twins, in his senior season when Galette had 70 tackles and 12 sacks at linebacker and 10 touchdowns and 41 catches for 492 yards at wide receiver, capping the season with St. Joseph's seventh straight state Non-Public Group III championship title under head coach Tony Karcich.
On February 1, 2006, Galette committed to play football for
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, receiving a full scholarship.
College career
Freshman year
Galette played in 11 games with nine starts as a true freshman at Temple, earning Freshman All-American recognition. That freshman season Galette made 52 tackles (32 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass breakup, and 1 block. In his college debut as a true freshman, Galette earned Defensive Player of the Game honors for his 9 tackles (5 solo) and 2.5 tackles for loss. Galette was ranked No. 2 on ESPN's college football plays of the week for his acrobatic punt block that led to a touchdown against BGSU. Galette lettered his freshman year at Temple.
Sophomore year
In his sophomore year at Temple, Galette played in all 12 games with 4 starts at defensive end. Galette finished his sophomore season with 41 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 pass breakup, leading the Temple Owls in tackles for loss and sacks. His 7.5 sacks ranked 4th among all Mid-Atlantic Conference players. Galette was named Defensive Player of the Game for Temple's win over Miami, in which he led the defense with 6 tackles, 3 sacks, and a forced fumble. Galette was named Mid-Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Week (October 22, 2007). Galette lettered his sophomore year at Temple.
Junior year
Galette continued to lead Temple's defense in his junior year, starting at defensive end. Galette finished his junior season with 46 tackles, a team-best 10 tackles for loss, a team-best 7.5 sacks, three break-ups, a hurry, and a forced fumble. In Temple's win over Navy on November 1, 2008, Galette led the Owls with a career-high 11 tackles, including 6 solo takedowns and a break-up, holding Navy to its lowest point total in 4 years. Galette was named Defensive Player of the Game against Navy and Central Michigan. Galette earned Temple Athlete of the Week honors for his performance against Ohio. Galette was honored with Second-team All-Mid-Atlantic Conference in 2008. Galette lettered his junior year at Temple.
Following his junior year, Galette was dismissed from the team for making "boneheaded mistakes" and for hosting a cousin who was arrested for stealing a laptop computer.
Senior year
Galette transferred to
Stillman College
Stillman College is a private historically black Presbyterian college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awards the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 17 disciplines/majors housed within three academic schools (Arts and Sciences, Busin ...
in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for his senior year. Galette was honored as a First-team All-American for his senior year performance at Stillman and was invited to participate in the NFL's rookie combine.
Professional career
New Orleans Saints
Galette was not drafted in the 2010 draft and signed with the Saints as a free agent. His energetic play made him a fan favorite during the preseason, and after he blocked a punt and registered two sacks in the Saints' final preseason game, Galette was selected for the Saints' 53-man regular season roster in 2010.
In the 2013 season, Galette signed a 3-year deal worth up to 9 million dollars. Galette became the team's regular starter at outside linebacker under new defensive coordinator
Rob Ryan
Robert Allen Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American football coach who is currently the senior defensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Ryan has served as a defensive coordinator or assistant co ...
and posted a breakout season with a team-high 12 sacks.
On September 3, 2014, Galette signed a four-year contract extension worth $41.5 million. He was selected by teammates as one of the defensive team captains for the 2014 season and played all 16 of the Saints' games that season and ended up getting 45 total tackles, 10 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. On July 24, 2015, Galette was officially released from the team.
Washington Redskins
On July 31, 2015, Galette signed a one-year contract with 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 ...
. On August 26, after completing training camp, it was announced that he tore his left
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...
a week prior to the first game of the season and would spend the entire 2015 season on the injured reserve list. He was placed on the injured reserve list on August 31. On November 16, 2015, Galette was suspended for two weeks for violating the league's personal conduct policy, coming from the domestic violence incident back in January.
Galette rehabbed the left Achilles and signed a one-year, up to $4 million deal for the upcoming 2016 season on March 15, 2016. It was announced on July 25 that Galette tore his right Achilles tendon and missed the entire 2016 season. Galette rehabbed again, and signed another deal with Washington, agreeing to play in 2017 for the veterans minimum. Galette outperformed the minimum deal, recording 3 sacks and ranking 3rd in the NFL in quarterback pressure rate, as a sub-rusher appearing in all 16 games.
On February 1, 2017, Galette re-signed with the Redskins on another one-year contract. Galette did not appear on Washington's injury list at all during the 2017 season. Following the 2017 season in which Galette got 3 sacks, Washington withdrew its offer to Galette after disagreements over salary.