Malcolm Barnwell (born June 28, 1958) is a former professional
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 ...
player who played
wide receiver for five seasons 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 ...
, 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 ...
and the
Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders. Barnwell was traded by the Raiders to the Redskins on August 26, 1985, in exchange for the Redskins' second-round pick in the
1986 NFL Draft
The 1986 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986, at the Marriott Marq ...
. His best season was
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, when he totaled 45 receptions for 851 yards, an 18.9 avg. and two touchdowns, all career highs.
In 2019, Barnwell was interviewed for the Raiders official team website, where he talked about being scouted while playing for
Virginia Union, a historically black college and being scouted by Raiders legend Willie Brown.
Legal troubles
In June 1986, Barnwell, who had been traded by the Raiders to
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 ...
after the 1984 season, was arrested and charged with cocaine possession. Barnwell had been a free agent at this point after being released by 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 ...
in December 1985. A warrant on an unrelated matter had already been issued for Barnwell when he was found in a hotel room with $400 worth of cocaine.
References
1958 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Charleston, South Carolina
Players of American football from South Carolina
American football wide receivers
Virginia Union Panthers football players
Oakland Raiders players
Los Angeles Raiders players
Washington Redskins players
New Orleans Saints players
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