Nathaniel Robinson (born January 18, 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 signed by the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
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. Once a heralded high school athlete, Robinson was an underachiever during his
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 ...
A native of Irvington, New Jersey, Robinson attended Irvington High School, a school that struggled with gang-related violence. As a junior in 2001, he recorded 82 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss, as well as 14 quarterback sacks, nine pass deflections and six caused fumbles. He missed most of his senior season due to a knee injury, but was still rated one of the best defensive lineman in the nation. In fact, ''
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 ...
'' gave Robinson their only five-star rating among defensive tackles, and ranked him No. 1 in a class that also included
Sedrick Ellis
Sedrick Dwayne Ellis (born July 9, 1985) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for the University of Southern California (USC), and earned unanimous All-American honors. He was drafted by the New Orleans Sai ...
Fili Moala
Siaosi Toutoupau'u "Fili" Moala (born June 23, 1985) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at Southern California, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Early yea ...
Syracuse
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*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
, and Miami (FL), Robinson committed to the Hurricanes, together with the only other five-star recruit from New Jersey, Greg Olsen of Wayne Hills. Unlike Olsen, however, Robinson was unable to meet the school's academic qualification standards. Although Robinson's
SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schola ...
score of 800 met the NCAA minimum for high school students with a 3.0 grade point average, it was 20 points shy of Miami's institutional standard. With the perspective of being declared ineligible, Robinson decided to not enroll at Miami, and instead went to Rutgers. He was the only four- or five-star recruit in Rutgers' class.
College career
The injury from his high school senior year also caused Robinson to miss the first half of his true freshman year at Rutgers. He only saw action in the final six games of the season, and recorded a total of three tackles and a single quarterback sack—coincidentally against the Miami Hurricanes. In his sophomore year, Robinson played in eight of 11 games, including the final six contests, finishing the season with 15 tackles, including five solo stops. In April 2005, he was dismissed for violation of team policy, and eventually transferred to Akron.
After sitting out the 2005 season while fulfilling NCAA transfer requirements, Robinson played 11 of 12 games for the Akron Zips in 2006. He had 23 tackles, including six for losses with a sack. In his senior year, he was moved in and out of the lineup, registering 26 tackles, including five for a loss, for the season.
Professional career
2008 NFL Draft
After a disappointing college career, Robinson was projected to go undrafted in 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, ...
. After doing so, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Giants.
New York Sentinels
Robinson was signed by the
New York Sentinels
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
of the United Football League on September 9, 2009. He was released before the season began.
Toronto Argonauts
On April 4, 2011, Robinson signed with the
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
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 ...
. He was released by the Argonauts on June 15, 2011.
Personal
On December 26, 2013, Robinson was arrested on gun and drug charges in