Shaquille "Shaq" Nakeem Richardson (born March 21, 1992) is a professional

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

in 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 ...

(CFL) who is a free agent. He was drafted by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

in the fifth round of the

2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

. 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 ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

High school

Richardson attended Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, California, where he was an All-Region selection. As a senior, he made 38 tackles and five interceptions on defense and 31 receptions for 540 yards and five touchdowns on offense. Considered a three-star recruit by ''

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'', he was rated as the 30th best

prospect of his class.

College career

Richardson originally enrolled in school at UCLA but upon being one of three freshman players dismissed by the team, along with his cousin Paul Richardson and

Josh Shirley Joshua Christian Shirley (born January 4, 1992) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Washington before transferring to UNLV. Professional career Oakland Raiders Shirley was with the Oakland Rai ...

. After his dismissal, he chose to attend the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

from 2010 to 2013. In 2010, he played in all 13 games as a true freshman, starting three. In his first career start against

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

, he intercepted two passes. He finished the season with 29 tackles, seven pass break-ups, one forced fumble and two picks. In 2011, he played in and started 10 games, recording 47 tackles, a team leading four interceptions (73 yards), five pass break-ups and one forced fumble. In 2012, he played in all 13 games with 11 starts. He recorded 58 total tackles, one interception and 14 pass break-ups. In 2013, he started all 13 games, recording 55 tackles, including three for loss, three interceptions and four pass break-ups.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers

Richardson was drafted by the

in the fifth round (157th overall) of the

. He was cut from the Steelers 53-man roster prior to the start of the regular season but was then signed to their practice squad.

Kansas City Chiefs

On February 26, 2015, Richardson signed a one-year deal with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. He was waived by the Chiefs on April 21.

Arizona Cardinals

On July 31, 2015, Richardson was signed by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. On August 31, 2015, he was cut by the Cardinals.

Tennessee Titans

On November 17, 2015, Richardson was signed to the Titans' practice squad.

Carolina Panthers

On May 17, 2016, Richardson signed a 2-year, $960,000 contract 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. T ...

. He was waived on July 14, 2016.

Oakland Raiders

On January 9, 2018, Richardson signed a reserve/future contract with the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

. He was waived/injured on August 6, 2018, and was placed on injured reserve. He was released on August 23, 2018.

Arizona Hotshots

Richardson later joined the

Arizona Hotshots The Arizona Hotshots were a professional American football franchise based in Tempe, Arizona, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which played one season from February 2019 to April 2019. They played their ho ...

of the

Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on January 30, 2019. He was activated from injured reserve on March 6, 2019. The league ceased operations in April 2019.

Toronto Argonauts

In October 2019, Richardson was signed by 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 ...

to their practice roster, and then later promoted to their active roster. He signed a contract extension with the Argonauts on January 14, 2021. In 2021, Richardson was named a CFL East Division all-star. He would also go on to win the

109th Grey Cup The 109th Grey Cup decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2022 season. The game was played on November 20, at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. It marked the fourth Grey Cup game to be held in Regina, and the first ...

with the Argonauts during the 2022 CFL season. On February 14, 2023, Richardson became a free agent.

Personal life

Shaquille Richardson's cousin is wide receiver Paul Richardson.

References

External links

Arizona Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Shaquille Living people 1992 births Players of American football from Compton, California American football cornerbacks Canadian football defensive backs Players of Canadian football from California Arizona Wildcats football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Los Alamitos, California Kansas City Chiefs players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Arizona Cardinals players Carolina Panthers players Calgary Stampeders players Oakland Raiders players Arizona Hotshots players Toronto Argonauts players Los Alamitos High School alumni