Ricot Joseph

Ricot Joseph (born June 16, 1978) is a Haitian-American former professional football safety who played one season in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. Born in Haiti, Joseph was raised in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, and played college football for the UCF Golden Knights. He joined the Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2002 and appeared in six games that year. He was released by Washington prior to the 2003 season and later signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, spending two seasons with them but seeing no playing time.

Early life Joseph was born on June 16, 1978, in Haiti. He was raised in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. He attended Lake Worth Community High School where he lettered in three sports: football, basketball and track and field. In football, he played as a wide receiver. After high school, he had a scholarship offer to play college football for the Alcorn State Braves, but opted to walk-on at the University of Central Florida (UCF), to play for the UCF Golden Knights. Joseph also blocked three punts, setting a program record, and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against Bowling Green. At the end of his collegiate career, he was invited to the Rotary Gridiron Classic all-star game.

Professional career In a workout in front of NFL scouts, prior to the 2002 NFL draft, Joseph ran a 40-yard dash timed at 4.38 seconds. He was released by the Redskins on September 1, then re-signed to the practice squad the following day. Following an injury to Sam Shade, Joseph was signed to the active roster on November 19. He made his NFL debut five days later, posting one tackle in a 20–17 win over the St. Louis Rams. He became the first Haitian-born NFL player. Joseph also appeared in the team's next five games, finishing the season with a total of four tackles, three solo and one assisted. He was re-signed by the Bengals on December 29, after their season ended. He was waived/injured by the team on August 19, 2004, and placed on injured reserve due to an injured left arm. He was released after the season, on February 24, 2005. The Bengals were the last team of his professional career.