Nnamdi Asomugha (; born July 6, 1981) is a Nigerian-American actor, director, producer, and former professional football cornerback who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for the California Golden Bears, and was selected in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft by the Raiders. For several years, he was considered one of the best shutdown corners in the NFL. In his 11-year career, he was voted All-Pro four times, including twice to the first team. Asomugha was selected as a member of Fox Sports's NFL All-Decade Team 2000–2009 and USA Today's NFL All-Decade Team 2000s, and is considered one of the greatest Raiders of all time.
Asomugha received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Carl King in the film Crown Heights (2017). He was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male and he was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Variety named him one of the seven breakout performers of 2017.
Asomugha made his Broadway debut in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Soldier’s Play (2020) as Private First Class Melvin Peterson, a role originated off-Broadway by Denzel Washington. Later that year, the production won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.
Asomugha received his first Emmy nomination when Sylvie’s Love (2020)—which he produced and starred in—was nominated for Outstanding Television Movie at the Primetime Emmy Awards. That same year, Variety named him one of its '10 Producers to Watch.'
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Early life and education
Nnamdi Asomugha was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, to Nigerian Igbo parents. His childhood was spent making numerous trips to Nigeria. He was raised in Los Angeles, California. He attended Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California, and Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, California, before transferring to and from Narbonne High School in Harbor City, California, playing high school basketball and football.
College career
Asomugha attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he played for the California Golden Bears football team. He finished his career with 187 tackles, three sacks, 19 stops for losses, eight interceptions, three touchdowns, 15 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble in 41 games as a free safety. Asomugha graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
Professional career
He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, where he spent eight seasons. He later played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers before retiring at the end of the 2013–2014 season.
Oakland Raiders
Asomugha was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round, with the 31st overall pick, of the 2003 NFL draft. He was the second Cal player drafted in the first round that year. He was moved to cornerback but played sparingly the first two seasons of his career. He became a starter in 2005 and set new highs in tackles with 60 tackles (55 solo) and passes broken up with 14.
In 2006, he recorded his first two career interceptions against the Cleveland Browns. He got his third interception four weeks later against the Pittsburgh Steelers and returned it 24 yards for the first touchdown of his career. Though the team suffered through a 2–14 season, Asomugha's 2006 campaign was his finest yet as he finished the season with 50 tackles (48 solo), eight interceptions, a sack, a forced fumble and one touchdown. His interception total tied him for second highest total in the National Football League along with four other players (including former Oakland Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson). After the season, Asomugha was invited to the Pro Bowl as an alternate but because of late notice he was not able to attend the annual all-star game. He also received the Oakland Raiders "Commitment to Excellence" Award and was named the team's Most Valuable Player. In addition, Asomugha was selected to Dr. Z Sports Illustrated 2006 All-Pro team as well as The Associated Press 2006 All-Pro Team.
Asomugha was selected as the Raiders Team Captain for the 2007 season. Opposing quarterbacks tested him only 31 times with a mere 10 completions the entire season. One NFL scout told Pro Football Weekly that Asomugha was thrown at "less than any defender in the last ten years" in 2007. He finished the 2007 season with 34 tackles(32 solo), 1 interception and 7 breakups and was named a 2008 Pro Bowl alternate.
A free agent in the 2008 offseason, the Raiders placed the exclusive franchise tag on Asomugha on February 20, 2008.
Asomugha was again selected a team captain before the 2008 season. Opposing quarterbacks tested him only 27 times the entire season resulting in just 8 completions. Only perennial all-pros Randy Moss (3 receptions, 40 yards) and Tony Gonzalez (2 receptions, 34 yards) would catch more than one ball on him during the year. New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Asomugha is "as complete a cornerback as he has seen all year". He finished the 2008 season with 40 tackles, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 9 pass deflections. He received the Oakland Raiders "Commitment to Excellence" Award for the second time and was named the team's 2008 Co-Most Valuable Player along with running back Justin Fargas. Asomugha was selected as a starter for the 2009 Pro Bowl. He was selected onto The Sporting News 2008 All-Pro Team as well as the Pro Football Writers Association All-NFL Team for 2008. Asomugha was also selected onto Peter King's Sports Illustrated 2008 All-Pro team as well as The Associated Press 2008 All-Pro Team.
Philadelphia Eagles
Entering the 2011 season, Asomugha was regarded as the top free agent available on the market. On July 29, 2011, Asomugha agreed to a five-year, $60 million deal, and at least $25 million guaranteed, contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2011, he finished the season with 40 total tackles, 5 passes defended, and 3 interceptions. Asomugha was named a 2012 Pro Bowl alternate.
During his time in Philadelphia, the team struggled to a 12–20 record, missing the playoffs both years. Asomugha was eventually released by the team at the end of the 2012 season after he was unable to agree to a restructured deal with the team.
San Francisco 49ers
On April 2, 2013, Asomugha signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, under which he would earn a base salary of $1.35 million and with a chance to earn up to an additional $1.65 million in incentives. On November 4, 2013, Asomugha was waived by the team.
Retirement
On December 26, 2013, Asomugha signed a one-day contract with Oakland so he could retire as a Raider. He officially announced his retirement on December 27, 2013.
In 2016, Pro Football Focus named Asomugha the best Oakland Raiders player of the past decade.
Media career
Asomugha's first onscreen role was on The CW sitcom The Game, followed by roles in other television series, including Friday Night Lights and the TNT drama Leverage. He also appeared in Will Ferrell's comedy web series Funny or Die (2012) and the Roadside Attractions film Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015).
In 2014, Asomugha worked as an executive producer on the Netflix film Beasts of No Nation. The film premiered at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival and was a critical success, garnering numerous awards that year, including a nomination for Best Feature at the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Asomugha's breakout performance came when he produced and starred in the Amazon Studios film Crown Heights. The film premiered in competition in the US Dramatic Category at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017, where it received favorable reviews and won the Audience Award for U.S. Dramatic Film. Following its success, Asomugha was widely regarded as one of the breakout actors of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, with Jenelle Riley of Variety calling his performance "simply astounding." He was later nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards, as well as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards.
Asomugha made his stage debut in the Off-Broadway play Good Grief (2018) at the Vineyard Theatre. The play was named a New York Times Critic's Pick, and Sara Holdren of New York Magazine praised Asomugha's performance as "excellent."
Asomugha has served as a producer or executive producer on several film and theatre projects, including the Focus Features film Harriet (2019), the Apple Studios film The Banker (2020), and the Amazon Studios film Nanny (2022), which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. He has also produced for theatre, including the Broadway plays American Son (2018) and Purlie Victorious (2023), which was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.
In 2020, Asomugha received critical acclaim for his Broadway debut in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Soldier’s Play, portraying Private First Class Melvin Peterson, a role originally performed off-Broadway by Denzel Washington. Jesse Green of The New York Times praised his standout performance as "excellent," while David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter declared it a "promising Broadway debut." The production went on to receive seven Tony Award nominations, winning Best Revival of a Play.
Filmography
Philanthropy
Asomugha serves as Chairman for the Asomugha Foundation. The Asomugha Foundation operates two primary programs: Orphans and Widows In Need (OWIN) and Asomugha College Tour for Scholars (ACTS).
Through OWIN, Asomugha and his family provide food, shelter, medicine, vocational training, literacy efforts, and scholarships to widows and orphans victimized by poverty or abuse in Nigeria. Currently, OWIN has two centers in Nigeria and plans to expand to other countries in Africa.
In 2006, Asomugha launched the annual ACTS program. Each year, he teams up with selected students from Bay Area and Los Angeles Area high schools on college tours across the country. One of the organizations he partnered with is the East Oakland Youth Development Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Oakland, California. In the first two years, Asomugha took students to visit Morehouse College, Spelman College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Clark Atlanta University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, Brown University and the Berklee College of Music. For the 2009 tour, Asomugha took students to visit schools in New York City including NYU, Columbia University, The Juilliard School, The Fashion Institute of Technology, Fordham University and The New School. In 2010, ACTS expanded to not only service high school students in the Bay Area but also select high schools in the Los Angeles area. For the 2010 tour, ACTS visited schools in Washington D.C. including Georgetown University, George Washington University, American University, Howard University and University of Maryland. In 2011, ACTS traveled to New Orleans, LA. The campuses visited were Loyola University, Xavier University of Louisiana, Southern University, Tulane University and Louisiana State University. All of the tour participants who have graduated from high school have gone on to attend higher education institutions.
Additionally, Asomugha distributes backpacks to the incoming freshmen each year at Narbonne High School in Los Angeles. He also outfits the football and basketball team with shoes, a mandate he wrote into an endorsement contract he signed with Nike.
Honors
For his commitment to community service, Asomugha was named a Home Depot Neighborhood MVP 2007
In 2008, Asomugha was presented with The President's Volunteer Service Award, an award that was established to recognize the important contributions Americans of all ages are making within their communities through service and civic engagement.
Asomugha has been recognized by fellow members of the NFL Players Association who nominated him in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 for the Byron "Whizzer" White Award for Outstanding Community Service. In 2010, Asomugha was presented with the 44th annual Byron "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year, the NFL Players Association's (NFLPA) highest honor
Asomugha was also nominated for the prestigious Sports Illustrated 2008 Sportsman of the Year award.
In 2009, Asomugha was named to the "Dream Team for Public Service" by the Jefferson Awards for Public Service.
In 2010, Asomugha became the ambassador for United Way of the Bay Area UWBA, dedicated to creating long-lasting change and ensuring all Bay Area residents have access to the building blocks to a better life: education, income and health.
In 2011, Asomugha was named one of three finalists for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award
In 2012, Asomugha received the inaugural "Role Model of the Year" Award from the Congressionally chartered National Conference on Citizenship
In 2016 He was voted Best Raider of the Past Decade by Pro Football Focus.
In 2017, Asomugha was inducted into the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF-LA) High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Personal life
On June 24, 2013, Asomugha married actress Kerry Washington. The couple have two children. Asomugha also has a daughter from a previous relationship.
Asomugha has a form of color-blindness called deuteranomaly and stated in the June 2009 issue of ESPN The Magazine that "It was determined when I was about 7 years old. It's never really affected my play on the field — I can easily distinguish between light and dark colors. I only have trouble between similar colors — the light ones. They look the same to me. No problems on the field."
Asomugha is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.