Ayanbadejo at the 2007 Pro Bowl |
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| No. 51 Baltimore Ravens | |
| Linebacker / Special teamer | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: September 6, 1976 | |
| Place of birth: Chicago, Illinois | |
| Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | Weight: 228 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: UCLA | |
| Undrafted in 1999 | |
| Debuted in 2003 for the Miami Dolphins | |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2011 | |
| Tackles | 208 |
| Sacks | 3.5 |
| INTs | 2 |
| Forced Fumbles | 5 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Oladele Brendon Ayanbadejo ( /ˈbrɛndən ˌaɪ.ənbəˈdeɪʒoʊ/; born September 6, 1976) is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins.
Ayanbadejo has been selected to the Pro Bowl three times as a special teams player. He also was named to the All-Pro team two times as special teams player by Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers Association. He has also been a member of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins in the NFL, the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts and BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is the younger brother of fullback and former teammate Obafemi Ayanbadejo.
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Ayanbadejo was born in Chicago to a Nigerian father and an American mother of Irish descent. He has one older brother, Obafemi Ayanbadejo, also a professional football player. Shortly after his birth the family moved to Nigeria, but after his parents separated he returned to the United States with his mother, settling in Chicago and then Santa Cruz, California.[1] He attended Santa Cruz High School.
For college Ayanbadejo enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played college football for the UCLA Bruins. He was first-team all-Pac-10 his senior season with four sacks against arch-rival USC's Carson Palmer. He majored in history.[2]
Ayanbadejo was originally signed by the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League as an undrafted free agent on April 23, 1999. He served on the practice squad of the Falcons and the Chicago Bears before being picked up by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in 2000, and spent time with them and the Toronto Argonauts. In played the 2001 season with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, and played for the BC Lions of the CFL in 2002.
In 2000 he played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League and in 2002 he played for the BC Lions, also of the Canadian Football League.
In 2003 he returned to the NFL as a member of the Miami Dolphins. In 2004, Ayanbadejo made a play that led to one of the biggest upset comebacks in Monday Night Football history. While getting sacked, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw the ball up for grabs. Ayanbadejo caught for the interception. The Dolphins went on to win the game by one point.
During the 2005 offseason, Ayanbadejo was traded to the Chicago Bears. On March 6, 2008, Ayanbadejo signed a four-year, $4.9 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens. The contract included a $1.9 million signing bonus. Ayanbadejo was selected to consecutive Pro Bowls as a special teamer in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
In 2009, Ayanbadejo became more of a player on the Baltimore Ravens defense. In week three against the Cleveland Browns, Ayanbadejo recorded six tackles, one of which was for a loss, a sack, and an interception. For his effort, he was awarded AFC Defensive Player of the Week (Week 3).[3] In week 4 against the Patriots, Brendon tore a quadriceps muscle. He said after the game he could miss the rest of the year, and was placed on the Injured Reserve list two days later.
On October 24, 2011 in a game of Monday night football, Ayanbadejo was ejected from the game for striking Jacksonville Jaguars Offensive lineman Guy Whimper in the face.
He is the younger brother of free agent fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo. The two were teammates on the Miami Dolphins in 2003. They were on the same team again in 2007, this time the Chicago Bears. Obafemi Ayanbadejo was cut by the Chicago Bears on October 1, 2007, after the fullback finished serving his four-game suspension for violating the NFL Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances.
Ayanbadejo wrote for the Santa Cruz Sentinel his first couple of years in the NFL. He has advocated for the passage of the FIT Kids Act, federal legislation that would require school districts to report on students' physical activity and to give youngsters health and nutritional information.[4] In 2009, Ayanbedejo advocated legalizing same-sex marriage.[5] He has a daughter, Anaya Lee Ayanbadejo, born in August 2006 and a son, Amadeus Prime Ayanbadejo, born in April 2011.
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