Brett Hartmann (born August 17, 1987) 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 wit ...

punter and

kickoff specialist A kickoff specialist is a special teams position in gridiron football. They are responsible for kicking the ball in the kickoff. These players tend to have a strong leg, often capable of making touchbacks, and capable of keeping a ball in the bound ...

. He was forced to retire after he suffered a career-ending knee injury. He was signed by the Houston Texans 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 2011. He played college football at

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

Early years

Hartmann attended

Menomonee Falls High School Menomonee Falls High School is a four-year public high school located in the village of Menomonee Falls in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in the United States. History Prior to 1969 a building on Garfield Drive was known as Menomonee Falls High Sc ...

Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin Menomonee Falls is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States, and is part of the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Metropolitan Area, Greater Milwaukee area. The population was 35,626 at the 2010 census, makin ...

and was a student and a letterman in football.

Professional career

Hartmann was eligible for the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York ...

but was not selected. He was signed with the Houston Texans on July 28, 2011 as an undrafted free agent. He was released for the final roster cutdown, but was re-signed by the Texans after they released punter

Brad Maynard Bradley Alan Maynard (born February 9, 1974) is a former American football punter. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft, and has also been a member of the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, and the Cleveland ...

. After playing in every game for the Texans, Hartmann suffered a torn

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

(ACL) against the Atlanta Falcons on December 4, and was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on December 6, ending his season. On November 15, 2012, Hartmann sued the county agency that operates

Reliant Stadium NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to have a retrac ...

, blaming "unsafe turf" for a possibly career-ending knee injury. In 2012, Hartmann was suspended for four games by the league for violating the league's substance policy, and was replaced by

Donnie Jones Donald Scott Jones Jr. (born July 5, 1980) is a former American football punter. He played college football for Louisiana State University and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He also played for ...

. Hartmann's suspension was later reduced to three. Hartmann was released during pre-season cutdowns, and as a free agent, his suspension was extended by eight more games on September 24, 2012.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartmann, Brett 1987 births Living people American football punters Houston Texans players People from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin Players of American football from Waukesha County, Wisconsin