Robert Lester (born April 30, 1988) 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 wi ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

. He played his college football for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

, and signed as an undrafted free agent with the

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. ...

in 2013.

College career

As a freshman in 2009, Lester played in eight games, recording eight

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

. He played on special teams in the national championship game against Texas, but did not record a tackle. As a sophomore in 2010, Lester took over as a starter and had 52 tackles, eight

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

s, and a sack. As a junior in 2011, Lester started all 13 games at strong safety during the Crimson Tide's 2011 national championship season. He had 39 tackles, three pass breakups, a forced fumble, one tackle for loss, and a blocked field goal. He intercepted his first pass against Ole Miss and his second against

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

during the regular season.Alabama player profile
/ref> His eight interceptions in his Sophomore year tied Harry Gilmer (1946) for the second most in a single season in Alabama school history.

College career statistics

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

After going undrafted in the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall ...

, Lester was signed as a free agent by the

. He was released on August 31, 2013, during final cuts, but was then signed to the Panthers practice squad the next day. On September 17, 2013, Lester was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster after Charles Godfrey was lost for the season due to injury. He started at Strong Safety week 3 vs the New York Giants in his first NFL game, and Lester finished with 5 tackles, a pass deflection, a fumble recovery, and an interception. In his rookie season, Lester played in 12 games and started four games. He recorded 21 tackles, three interceptions, four passes defensed and one fumble recovery. Opposing quarterbacks had a 49.6 rating when throwing in Lester's direction in 2013. He was released on August 30, 2014 for final roster cuts before the start of the 2014 season. He was signed to the team's practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 14. On September 1, 2015, Lester was released by the Panthers.

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lester, Robert 1988 births Living people American football safeties Alabama Crimson Tide football players Carolina Panthers players People from Foley, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama