Nickell Earl Robey-Coleman (born January 17, 1992) is an

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 ...

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 ...

for the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). He was signed by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) 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 i ...

in 2013 after playing

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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses ** South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

. Robey-Coleman has also played for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...

and the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

High school career

A native of

Frostproof Frostproof is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The city is located in southern Polk County on the Lake Wales Ridge. The population was 2,992 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 3,27 ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, Robey-Coleman attended

Frostproof Middle-Senior High School Frostproof Middle-High School or FMSHS is a combined middle school/high school located in Frostproof, Florida, serving the city of Frostproof and nearby areas. Notable alumni *Alvin Harper, former NFL player *Travis Henry, former NFL player *Nic ...

, where he played

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

, wide receiver, defensive back, and

return specialist A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...

for the Bulldogs football team. During his

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

year, in 2009, he had 764 yards on 88 carries (8.9 avg.) with nine touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 232 yards (13.7 avg.) with six touchdowns on offense. He had 73 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles on defense and averaged 17.1 yards on eight punt returns and 34.7 yards on seven kickoff returns. Robey-Coleman was ranked as a four-star recruit and the ninth best cornerback coming out of high school by the Rivals.com recruiting service. He chose USC over

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

, and Clemson, among other schools. In addition to playing high school football, he was on Frostproof's baseball and track teams.

College career

After graduating high school, Robey-Coleman attended and played college football for

. As a freshman, Robey-Coleman started all of the

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season when he became a cornerback after playing wide receiver in high school. He was named to the 2010 Collegefootballnews.com Freshman All-American honorable mention list, All-Pac-10 honorable mention, and

Phil Steele Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, pr ...

's All-Pac-10 fourth team in recognition of his freshman season. Robey-Coleman put together a solid sophomore season in

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

. He started in all 12 games, posting a record of 63 tackles (including 5.5 for losses and 2 sacks), a team-high nine deflections, and two

interceptions 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 ...

(with one a touchdown). He made 12 punt returns for 132 yards total. He was a first-team All-

Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Divisi ...

selection and was named to the 2011 CollegeFootballNews.com Sophomore All-American second-team. In his final season with the Trojans in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, Robey-Coleman would once again put together a solid season. He was a

Jim Thorpe Award The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986. It is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, the award became sponsored by Payco ...

candidate and returned punts and kicks for the Trojans. He was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection in

. Robey-Coleman decided to forgo his senior season and entered 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 ...

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

Robey-Coleman was signed by the

as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of the

. In a Week 7 matchup against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

, Robey-Coleman recorded his first interception, returning it 19 yards for a touchdown. In the 2013 season, he recorded 39 tackles, 3.0 sacks, six stuffs, one forced fumble, and one interception. In his second season in the NFL, Robey-Coleman would put together a solid campaign, where he recorded 46 tackles, one sack, one stuff, and one pass defensed. On August 9, 2015, Robey-Coleman signed a two-year contract extension with the Bills. In the 2015 season, he recorded 46 tackles, one sack, and four passes defensed. In the 2016 season, Robey-Coleman recorded 35 tackles, two run stuffs, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and seven passes defensed. On March 6, 2017, Robey-Coleman was released by the Bills.

Los Angeles Rams

On April 7, 2017, Robey-Coleman was signed by the

. In Week 3, he recorded an interception against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

that led to running back

Todd Gurley Todd Jerome Gurley II (born August 3, 1994) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons, primarily with the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football at Georgia, where he rece ...

to score his first touchdown of the game in the Rams 41–39 win. In Week 6 against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

, he recorded his second interception off a tipped ball by tight end

Marcedes Lewis Marcedes Alexis Lewis (born May 19, 1984) is an American football tight end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCLA, earning consensus All-American honors. He was selected by the Jack ...

in a 27–17 win. He played in 15 games with four starts as the Rams' primary slot corner and nickelback, recording a career-high 49 tackles, nine passes defensed, two interceptions, and one forced fumble. On March 13, 2018, Robey-Coleman signed a three-year contract extension with the Rams. In the

NFC Championship The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final National Football League playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional Amer ...

on January 20, 2019, against 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 ...

, Robey-Coleman was involved in a controversial moment late in the game when he collided with Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis helmet-to-helmet. The hit would have been pass interference or a personal foul, but neither came about. The Rams went on to win 26–23 in overtime, sending them to

Super Bowl LIII Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...

. Following the game, Robey-Coleman admitted that he thought he should have been called for defensive pass interference or a personal foul. On January 25, 2019, Robey-Coleman was fined $26,739 for the hit on Lewis. During the Super Bowl, Robey-Coleman made a helmet-to-helmet hit on

Rex Burkhead Rex Burkhead (born July 2, 1990) is an American football running back for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2013 ...

, which resulted in a personal foul. The entire game turned out to be a defensive struggle as the Rams eventually were defeated, 13–3. On February 10, 2019, Robey-Coleman was again fined $26,739. On March 17, 2020, the Rams declined the option on Robey-Coleman's contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 31, 2020, Robey-Coleman signed a one-year contract with the

. He was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

list by the team on January 3, 2021, and activated on January 20.

Detroit Lions

On August 9, 2021, Robey-Coleman signed with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

. He was released on August 31, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.

Las Vegas Raiders

On September 13, 2022, Robey-Coleman signed with the

' practice squad.

NFL statistics

Personal life

In February 2010, two weeks after he signed with the

Trojans Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 189 ...

, his mother, Maxine, died, aged 44. Before leaving for school that morning, he checked on her because she had recently been hospitalized, and found her on her bedroom floor. After calling

paramedic A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research. Not all ambulance personnel are p ...

s, he performed

CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spont ...

on her but she was to succumb later at the hospital from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

. In the spring of 2014, Robey started attending transferable classes at

Warner University Warner University is a private Christian university in Lake Wales, Florida. It is affiliated with the Church of God. History Warner Southern College was founded in 1968 by the Southeastern Association of the Church of God in Anderson, Ind ...

. In 2015, he returned to

, taking three classes, then took three more after his 2017 season with the Rams. In 2019, he finished coursework for his degree in policy, planning and development, with an emphasis in

real estate development Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re- lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...

, fulfilling the promise he had made to his mother to finish college. Before the 2016 season, he added the name of his mother to his own. In November 2018, Robey-Coleman's son Nickell Jr. died after he was

born prematurely Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 weeks, very early preterm birth is between ...

and suffered from

lung The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of ...

complications. Robey-Coleman, in 2019, revealed in an exchange with

Neil deGrasse Tyson Neil deGrasse Tyson ( or ; born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist, author, and science communicator. Tyson studied at Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Columbia University. From 1991 to 1994, he was a p ...

, that he had doubts "all his life" about the Earth being round.

References

External links

Los Angeles Rams bio

Buffalo Bills bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robey-Coleman, Nickell 1992 births Living people African-American players of American football American football cornerbacks Buffalo Bills players Detroit Lions players Las Vegas Raiders players Los Angeles Rams players Philadelphia Eagles players Players of American football from Florida Sportspeople from Polk County, Florida USC Trojans football players 21st-century African-American sportspeople