Husain Abdullah

Husain Ibn Muhammed Abdullah (born July 27, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and also played for the Kansas City Chiefs. He retired from the NFL after seven seasons due to multiple concussions sustained during his career and concern for his future health. Abdullah played college football for the Washington State Cougars. He is the younger brother of former NFL safety Hamza Abdullah.

Early life Abdullah attended Pomona High School and was most well known for his athletics. In high school, he received many honorable awards as he represented his school football team as captain. Abdullah is a defensive back and a contributor to the special teams unit as a kick returner. During Abdullah's sophomore year, he was awarded the team's defensive MVP and was nominated as rookie of the year. During his junior year, Abdullah won the All-Inland Valley award and as a senior, and stood as the number 9 ranked safety in the west coast.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Abdullah was an undrafted rookie who later signed with the Minnesota Vikings. He served as a backup from 2008 to 2009. Before the 2010 season he was named the starting strong safety. The competition in the offseason and preseason was thought to be between Tyrell Johnson and Jamarca Sanford, but Abdullah won the job. During the 2011 season, Abdullah became the starting free safety, but a concussion (his fourth in 15 months) ended his season.

Kansas City Chiefs After he returned from a year off, Abdullah accepted a one-year contract offer from the Chiefs, The next day, the NFL said the penalty was a misapplication of the relevant rule, and should not have been assessed. The penalty created much controversy on social media, including beyond America.

Retirement Abdullah retired from football on March 28, 2016, citing concern over the five concussions he had accumulated during his career. He later explained the decision further in an essay submitted to The Players Tribune.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2008 MIN 16 0 20 14 6 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2009 MIN 14 0 17 15 2 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2010 MIN 15 15 75 54 21 0.0 3 3 5 0 5 7 0 0 0 0 2011 MIN 9 9 49 44 5 1.0 3 1 32 0 32 5 0 0 0 0 2013 KAN 16 2 27 22 5 0.5 0 1 44 1 44 4 0 1 0 0 2014 KAN 16 16 71 58 13 0.0 2 1 39 1 39 8 0 0 0 0 2015 KAN 11 4 29 24 5 0.0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Career 97 46 288 231 57 2.5 12 6 120 2 44 26 0 1 0 0

Playoffs Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2008 MIN 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2009 MIN 2 0 4 4 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2013 KAN 1 1 6 6 0 0.0 0 2 5 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 2015 KAN 2 0 4 1 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Career 6 1 14 11 3 0.0 0 2 5 0 4 4 0 0 0 0

Personal life Abdullah is the son to Yusuf and Sa'eeda Johnwell. He lived in a very large family, one of 12 children. As a practicing Muslim, Abdullah observes fasting in Ramadan—even during the football season. He sat out the 2012 season to make Hajj to Mecca with his brother Hamza Abdullah, who was also in the NFL. He is a member of the Alpha Lambda Mu fraternity, America's first and only Muslim fraternity.