Nick Fairley
No. 98, 90 | |||||||||||
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Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Mobile, Alabama,U.S. | January 23, 1988||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 308 lb (140 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Williamson(Mobile, Alabama) | ||||||||||
College: |
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NFL draft: | 2011/ round: 1 / pick: 13 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Player stats atPFR |
Nicholas Lachester Fairley(born January 23, 1988) is an American former professionalfootballplayer who was adefensive tacklein theNational Football League(NFL). He playedcollege footballforAuburn University,where he was recognized as anAll-Americanand was a member of aBCS National Championship team.Fairley was selected by theDetroit Lionsin the first round of the2011 NFL draft.He also played for theSt. Louis Ramsand theNew Orleans Saints.
Early life
[edit]Fairley was born inMobile, Alabama.He attendedWilliamson High Schoolin Mobile, where he was a two-way lineman and also lettered in basketball. Regarded as a three-star prospect,[1]he was projected as an offensive guard. He committed to Auburn, but was not able to qualify academically.[2]
College career
[edit]Copiah-Lincoln Community College
[edit]Fairley attendedCopiah-Lincoln Community Collegefrom 2007 to 2008. After being redshirted in 2007, he played in seven games in 2008. He recorded 63 tackles and sevensacksin the 2008 season.[2]
Auburn University
[edit]Fairley transferred toAuburn University,where he played for theAuburn Tigers footballteam in 2009 and 2010. He finished the 2009 season with two starts in 13 games and recorded 28 tackles. Surprisingly quick for his size, his tendency to be flamboyant following a successful play placed him as a person of concern for officials. In 2010, he became the 2nd player from Auburn to win theLombardi Award.He was coached by Lombardi winner and former Auburn playerTracy Rocker,and became the first player to win the Lombardi and be coached by a winner of the award.
During the2011 BCS National Championship Gameagainst theOregon Ducks,Fairley had five tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Three of his tackles were made behind the line of scrimmage. Fairley was selected as the defensive player of the game.
Professional career
[edit]Pre-draft
[edit]Only four days after the2011 BCS National Championship Game,Fairley decided to forgo his final year of eligibility, entering the2011 NFL draft.[3]He was initially projected to be the first pick in the draft.[4]His measurements at the combine showed him to be 6 feet 3 7/8 inches tall and 291 pounds, somewhat less than his listing of 6–5 and 300 pounds at Auburn.[5]After the NFL Combine, he was projected in the 8–12 range.[6][7]
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft3+7⁄8in (1.93 m) |
291 lb (132 kg) |
34+3⁄4in (0.88 m) |
9+3⁄4in (0.25 m) |
4.84 s | 1.72 s | 2.76 s | 4.56 s | 7.14 s | 31 in (0.79 m) |
9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) | ||
All values fromNFL Combine[8] |
Detroit Lions
[edit]Fairley was selected by theDetroit Lionsin the first round as the 13th pick overall.[9][10]He signed a 4-year contract with the Lions on July 28, 2011. The contract was for four years and worth $10 million with a $5.7 million signing bonus.
In Detroit, he joined All-ProNdamukong Suhon the interior of the Detroit defensive line. Though at times his play was stout,[11]he was troubled by inconsistency.[12]
In hissecond seasonin the NFL Fairley recorded 5.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 26 tackles. However, on December 12, 2012, Fairley was put on theinjured reserve list,ending his season.[13]
Fairley'sfourth seasonhad been productive for the most part. However, on October 26, 2014, Fairley sustained aMedial collateral ligamentsprain against theAtlanta FalconsatWembley StadiuminLondon.[14]
St. Louis Rams
[edit]On March 13, 2015, Fairley signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the St. Louis Rams.[15][16]Fairley played in 15 games for the Rams in 2015 along their defensive line rotation and recorded 29 tackles (18 solo), a split sack, a pass defended, and one fumble recovery.[17]On December 31, 2015, Fairley was placed on injured reserve.[18]
New Orleans Saints
[edit]On March 28, 2016, Fairley signed a one-year, $5 million contract with theNew Orleans Saints.[17][19]After recording career-highs in tackles and sacks in 2016, Fairley signed a four-year, $30 million contract extension with the Saints during the 2017 off-season.[20]
On June 26, 2017, the Saints placed Fairley on the reserve/non-football-illness list regarding a lingering heart condition, ending his 2017 season.[21]
On February 5, 2018, Fairley was released by the Saints.[22]
NFL career statistics
[edit]Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | |||
2011 | DET | 10 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2012 | DET | 13 | 34 | 27 | 7 | 5.5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2013 | DET | 15 | 35 | 22 | 13 | 6.0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2014 | DET | 8 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2015 | STL | 15 | 29 | 18 | 11 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | −5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2016 | NO | 16 | 43 | 29 | 14 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career[23] | 77 | 170 | 113 | 57 | 20.5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Personal life
[edit]Since entering the NFL, Fairley has had a number of run-ins with the law. On April 3, 2012, Fairley was arrested in Mobile, Alabama for marijuana possession.[24]The charges were dismissed in December 2012.[25]
On May 27, 2012, Fairley was arrested by Alabama State Troopers for driving under the influence and attempting to elude police. He was also ticketed for reckless driving, having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle and no proof of insurance.[26]
On June 3, 2017, it was revealed that Fairley was diagnosed with a heart condition that could threaten his career.[27][28]
On December 1, 2018, Fairley was arrested on criminal menacing charges when he allegedly threatened a person with a gun.[29]
References
[edit]- ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon December 6, 2013.RetrievedApril 19,2014.
{{cite web}}
:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^abMandel, Stewart (January 7, 2011)."Slowing Newton won't be easy, but stopping Fairley equally daunting".SI.Archived fromthe originalon January 10, 2011.
- ^"Auburn Tigers' Nick Fairley to enter NFL draft".ESPN.January 14, 2011.
- ^Banks, Don (January 27, 2011)."2011 NFL Mock Draft 1.0".SI.Archived fromthe originalon July 23, 2012.
- ^McShay, Todd; Weidl, Kevin (February 26, 2011)."Nick Fairley smaller than expected at NFL combine".ESPN Insider.Archived fromthe originalon July 10, 2012.
- ^Lande, Russ (March 2011)."NFL mock draft: Mallett, Liuget and Sherrod moving up draft boards".Sporting News.
- ^Banks, Don (March 9, 2011)."2011 NFL Mock Draft 3.0".SI.Archived fromthe originalon March 11, 2011.
- ^Dagger."2011 NFL Combine Results".postgameheroes.RetrievedJune 19,2011.
- ^"2011 NFL Draft Listing".Pro-Football-Reference.RetrievedFebruary 26,2019.
- ^"The Detroit Lions draft Nick Fairley of Auburn with the 13th-overall selection".Archived fromthe originalon March 29, 2012.RetrievedApril 29,2011.
- ^"Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley providing stout presence in the middle of Detroit's defensive line".Fox News.November 13, 2013.
- ^Smith, Michael (November 12, 2013)."Fairley makes big plays, but Schwartz wants to see it consistently".
- ^Rogers, Justin (December 19, 2012)."Detroit Lions place DT Nick Fairley on injured reserve, sign Ogemdi Nwagbuo".mlive.RetrievedDecember 19,2012.
- ^Birkett, Dave (October 27, 2014)."Nick Fairley out 4–5 weeks with knee sprain, per report".Detroit Free Press.RetrievedOctober 27,2014.
- ^Wesseling, Chris (March 13, 2015)."Nick Fairley leaves Detroit Lions for St. Louis Rams".NFL.RetrievedMarch 13,2015.
- ^Alper, Josh (March 13, 2015)."Nick Fairley signs with Rams".RetrievedMarch 13,2015.
- ^ab"Saints sign DT Nick Fairley to one-year contract".neworleanssaints.Archived fromthe originalon March 30, 2016.RetrievedMarch 29,2016.
- ^"Rams place Nick Fairley, Doug Worthington on injured reserve".January 2016.RetrievedJanuary 1,2016.
- ^"New Orleans Saints reach deal with DT Nick Fairley".NFL.RetrievedMarch 29,2016.
- ^Sessler, Marc (March 9, 2017)."Saints bringing back Nick Fairley on $30M deal".NFL.
- ^Patra, Kevin (June 26, 2017)."Saints place Nick Fairley on NFI list, ending his season".NFL.
- ^Williams, Charean (February 5, 2018)."Saints cut Nick Fairley with non-football illness designation".ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.
- ^"Nick Fairley Stats".ESPN.ESPN Internet Ventures.RetrievedApril 29,2015.
- ^"Detroit Lions' Nick Fairley arrested on drug charges".CBS News.
- ^Seifert, Kevin (December 4, 2012)."Nick Fairley has drug charge dropped".ESPN.RetrievedDecember 4,2012.
- ^"Report: Nick Fairley arrested again".ESPN.May 27, 2012.RetrievedMay 27,2012.
- ^Garafolo, Mike."Nick Fairley's NFL future in question due to medical issue".NFL.RetrievedJune 3,2017.
- ^Boren, Cindy (June 4, 2017)."Saints' Nick Fairley reportedly has a career-threatening heart condition".The Washington Post.RetrievedJune 4,2017.
- ^"Police release new details about arrest of Nick Fairley".fox10tv.December 3, 2018.RetrievedMay 10,2012.
External links
[edit]- New Orleans Saints bioArchivedMarch 29, 2016, at theWayback Machine
- St. Louis Rams bio
- Detroit Lions bioArchivedMarch 14, 2012, at theWayback Machine
- Auburn Tigers bio