Dan Wilkinson Daniel Raymon Wilkinson ( born March 13 , 1973 ) is a former American football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League ( NFL ) for thirteen seasons in the 1990s and 2000s . Nicknamed " Big Daddy " , he played college football for the Ohio State University , was recognized as an All - American and received several national awards recognizing him as an outstanding college lineman . He was drafted first overall in the 1994 NFL Draft , and played professionally for the Cincinnati Bengals , Washington Redskins , Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins of the NFL . Early years . Wilkinson was born in Dayton , Ohio . He attended Dunbar High School in Dayton , and played for the Dunbar Wolverines high school football team . His football coach at Stivers Intermediate School , Albert Powell , gave Wilkinson the nickname " Big Daddy " , after convincing him to play defensive line instead of fullback . " Carl Hairston was in Cleveland at the time , so I told Dan , ' You ' re our Big Daddy . ' " College career . Wilkinson received an athletic scholarship to attend Ohio State University , where he played for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team from 1991 to 1993 . During his freshman season in 1991 , the Buckeyes coaches redshirt ed and placed him on the scout team . At the time , Wilkinson weighed 348 pounds and played offensive tackle . During the season , he lost 48 pounds and began to play defense . Lining up next to Alonzo Spellman during his sophomore year , Wilkinson earned All - Big Ten honors after he had 46 tackles , 10 . 5 tackles - for - loss , and 6 . 5 sacks . Playing under tackle next to nose guard Luke Fickell as a junior in 1993 , Wilkinson finished with 44 tackles and 13 tackles - for - loss . He earned first - team All - Big Ten honors and was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American . He decided to forgo his final season of college eligibility and subsequently declared for the 1994 NFL Draft . Professional career . 1994 NFL Draft . Along with running back Marshall Faulk and quarterbacks Heath Shuler and Trent Dilfer , Wilkinson was regarded as " one of the four players who rank well above the others in this draft " . In workouts prior to the draft , Wilkinson weighed in at 315 pounds , bench - pressed 225 pounds 34 times and ran a remarkably fast 40 yards in 4 . 72 seconds . " Wilkinson could be a once - in - 10 - years player , " said Billy Devaney , then San Diego Chargers ' director of player personnel . Also described as " maybe the best defensive - line prospect since Reggie White [ in 1985 ] , " Wilkinson drew a lot of interest from around the league . Several teams were willing to trade with the Cincinnati Bengals for the No . 1 draft pick , including the New England Patriots , who reportedly offered their first - round pick ( 4th overall ) , plus several players including offensive guard Eugene Chung ( their first - round choice in 1992 ) , and the Arizona Cardinals , who offered their pick plus running back Garrison Hearst ( their 1993 first - rounder ) . Eventually , the Bengals decided to keep the pick , and decided not to selected a quarterback , since they already picked David Klingler in 1992 . Becoming the third defensive lineman in four years — after Russell Maryland and Steve Emtman — to be selected first overall , Wilkinson was chosen by the Bengals . He was only the second Ohio State defensive player to go No . 1 , after Tom Cousineau in 1979 . Cincinnati Bengals . After an 11 - day holdout , Wilkinson signed a six - year , $ 14 . 4 million ( $ million in current value ) contract with the Cincinnati Bengals on May 5 , 1994 , becoming the highest - paid player in their franchise history . While in training camp , Bengals coaches compared Wilkinson to All - Pro offensive tackle Anthony Muñoz in terms of talent . Wilkinson went on to play the team from to . During his rookie season , Wilkinson led the team with 19 quarterback hurries . He set a season - high and led the team with seven tackles against the Indianapolis Colts on November 20 . During the season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles on December 20 , Wilkinson volunteered to give up his starting spot so Bengals great Tim Krumrie could start his final home game . Wilkinson still made two sacks in a reserve role . Wilkinson set a career - high with eight quarterback sack s in 1995 — a total which led all AFC interior linemen that season and was the most by a Bengals interior lineman since Mike Reid in 1972 . Wilkinson ' s 18 quarterback hurries were second on the team and he played in 829 snaps , second - most on the defensive line . He spent time at both defensive tackle positions and right defensive end . He played the first two games of the regular season with a cast on his hand after breaking his ring finger in the final preseason game . He registered two sacks and led defensive line with five tackles ( all solo ) in win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 10 and sacked quarterback Mark Brunell on fourth down in the final minute of the game to preserve the Bengals win . Wilkinson suffered a neck injury against the Chicago Bears on December 10 and was inactive for the final two games of the season . Wilkinson led the Bengals in sacks for the first time in 1996 with 6 . 5 , including one in each of the first five games , and also led the defensive line with 37 solo tackles . He led a rushing defense which allowed fewest yards per game ( 102 . 7 ) since the 1983 Bengals allowed 93 . 7 . He opened the year with a season - high eight tackles , a sack and five quarterback hurries against the St . Louis Rams on September 1 . He made his first career interception against the Baltimore Ravens on November 3 , picking off a Vinny Testaverde pass . In 1997 , Wilkinson played much of the season at right defensive end after the Bengals converted to a 3 - 4 defense , totaling a team - high five sacks . He was awarded the team ' s defensive game ball for his play in Cincinnati ’ s victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 23 . He missed his only game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys on December 14 with a stinger in his neck . Washington Redskins . In December 1997 , Wilkinson clashed with ownership and the city he played in . He was disappointed the Bengals did not place the franchise tag on him during the offseason . He also called Cincinnati a " racist " city , saying its residents were " prejudiced and uptight and stiff . " The remarks caused owner Mike Brown to act , and on February 26 , 1998 , Wilkinson was traded to the Washington Redskins . That same week , the Redskins had also acquired the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year , Dana Stubblefield , from the San Francisco 49ers . Wilkinson was very productive during his first season in Washington , leading the team in sacks ( 7 . 5 ) , quarterback pressures ( 50 ) and tackles - for - loss ( six ) . His 50 quarterback pressures were 30 more than the team ' s No . 2 man in that category ( defensive end Kenard Lang ) . Wilkinson set career highs in total tackles ( 60 ) and solo stops ( 45 ) , playing in more snaps ( 1 , 037 ) than any other defensive tackle in the NFL that season . He intercepted his second career pass against Philadelphia on November 15 when he picked off the deflected pass deep in Eagles territory and ran four yards before being tackled , setting up the Redskins ' first touchdown . He also performed well against the New York Giants on November 1 with 14 QB pressures , seven tackles and a pass deflection . He tied a career - high with eight tackles against the Arizona Cardinals on November 22 . Wilkinson led the Redskins with eight sacks to match his career - high from 1995 and finished second in quarterback pressures ( 43 ) in 1999 . In a Week 7 game against the Chicago Bears , Redskins defensive end Marco Coleman hit Bears quarterback Shane Matthews , forcing the ball into Wilkinson ' s hands . He returned it ( at a comfortable pace ) 88 yards for a touchdown , with speedster Darrell Green escorting him most of the way . The play gave the Redskins a 14 – 0 lead in their 48 – 22 win over Chicago and was the fourth - longest interception return for a score in Redskins history , the longest such return ever by a Redskins player at home and the longest return ever by a Redskins defensive lineman . Wilkinson also racked up five tackles ( three solo ) , two sacks , five pressures and a pass defensed at the New York Giants on September 19 , when he was awarded a game ball along with the rest of the starting defensive line . He recorded a team - high nine pressures , a sack , two solos and one tackle - for - loss against the Arizona Cardinals on December 12 . In 2000 , Wilkinson experienced the lowest sack total of his career at just 3 . 5 for the year . He made a season - high four tackles on two occasions , at the Dallas Cowboys and at Pittsburgh Steelers in consecutive weeks in mid - December . He had a season - long , nine - yard sack at the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 22 . While Wilkinson did not post entirely impressive statistics in 2001 , he made key blocks allowing other defensive players to make big plays while also contributing in other ways . His pass deflection on second - and - goal led to an interception by Otis Leverette on the one - yard line and ended a critical scoring threat by the Carolina Panthers on October 21 . The Redskins went on to beat the Panthers 17 – 14 in overtime . Although he posted no stats in the game , Wilkinson ' s pressure helped hold Philadelphia ' s offense to only 186 total yards . On the year , Wilkinson finished with 25 tackles ( 19 solo ) , four sacks and two interceptions . His two interceptions came off Donovan McNabb and Aaron Brooks . Wilkinson experienced his worst season as a pro in 2002 , which would prove to be his last with the Redskins . He recorded one tackle against the Dallas Cowboys on November 28 before leaving the game in the third quarter with a strained right calf . He was placed on injured reserve on December 5 , ending his season . In the 12 games he played , he recorded 16 tackles ( 12 solo ) and five pass deflections . It was the first season of his career in which he did not record a sack . Detroit Lions . During the 2003 offseason , Wilkinson voiced his preference to stay in Washington and it appeared it would happen . The team wanted him to take a pay cut , since they considered Wilkinson ' s team - high $ 3 . 5 million salary " too much " for a player who had a career - low 17 tackles and no sacks in 2002 . But negotiations with Wilkinson ' s agent fell through , and he was cut by the team on July 29 . Wilkinson received interest from the Dallas Cowboys , Green Bay Packers , and New England Patriots and approximately four other organizations . On August 17 , he agreed to sign with the Detroit Lions . In Wilkinson ' s first regular season game with the Lions against the Arizona Cardinals on September 7 , he recorded three solo tackles , five quarterback hurries , two passes defensed and a nine - yard sack of quarterback Jeff Blake — the first Lions ' sack of the season . His best game of the season came against the Green Bay Packers on November 27 with a sack of Brett Favre , his first fumble recovery of 2003 , two quarterback pressures and a season - high six tackles ( four solos ) . He notched a pass defense , two quarterback knockdowns and a pressure against the St . Louis Rams on December 28 , helping hold the Rams ’ rushing attack to just 41 yards . Despite modest statistics ( 24 tackles and two sacks ) , Wilkinson made a significant impact on the Lions ' run defense . He was named to Peter King of Sports Illustrated ’ s all - pro team . In 2004 , Wilkinson appeared in all 16 games for the Lions . He was a member of a defensive line unit that registered 30 . 5 sacks , the seventh - highest total among any front four in the NFL . The unit also started every game together during the season . Wilkinson forced a fumble and sacked Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb for a seven - yard loss against Philadelphia on September 26 . He also set a career - high with two forced fumbles during the season . He was also instrumental in the development of younger players , including Pro Bowl defensive tackle Shaun Rogers and defensive end James Hall . In the 2005 season , Wilkinson ' s last with the Lions , he played in all 16 games for the third straight year . He finished the season with 26 tackles ( 20 solo ) and three sacks — his highest total in four seasons . He recorded two Trent Dilfer sacks at the Cleveland Browns on October 23 , for a loss of 10 yards . His sack in the first quarter for nine yards prevented the Browns from reaching the end zone , and forced a field goal attempt . He recorded his first career safety after punter Nick Harris downed a punt on the 2 - yard line against the Arizona Cardinals on November 13 . On the ensuing possession , he tackled Cardinals fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo in the end zone in the first quarter . Wilkinson had a sack on December 4 against Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson for a loss of seven yards to stop a potential scoring drive and force the Vikings to punt . Miami Dolphins . During the 2006 offseason , the Lions unsuccessfully attempted to trade Wilkinson and subsequently released him on May 22 . He received interest from multiple teams , and visited with the Miami Dolphins in early June . The two parties negotiated on a contract , but Wilkinson preferred to not sign until later so as not to go through the rigors of an entire training camp at his age . He officially signed a three - year deal with the team on August 14 . It was officially a three - year , $ 6 . 31 million contract , although it was structured in a way that would essentially make it a one - year deal . Wilkinson received a $ 500 , 000 signing bonus and had a $ 810 , 000 in base salary in 2006 . His base salary would jump to $ 2 million in 2007 and $ 2 . 5 million in 2008 . He is due a $ 500 , 000 roster bonus in the 2008 offseason . Wilkinson played in a reserve role most of the season behind Keith Traylor and Jeff Zgonina , battling nagging injuries and dealing with a lawsuit which caused him to miss time . In 10 games played , he recorded 13 tackles ( nine solo ) and three pass deflections . On December 21 , Wilkinson was placed on season - ending injured reserve with knee and hamstring injuries . In the 2007 offseason , the Dolphins attempted to trade Wilkinson to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a sixth - round draft pick in the 2007 NFL Draft . Wilkinson failed to contact either team , and while deadlines for him to report were extended during the offseason , the trade fell through and was voided on March 31 . On June 18 , the Dolphins released Wilkinson . Personal . The second - youngest of eleven children , he was born in Dayton , Ohio , to Oliver and Veronda Wilkinson . Wilkinson and his wife Shawnda are divorced and had four children : Brooklyn , Daniel Ramon Jr . , Taylor , Sydné and now is remarried and has had two more children , Kennedy and Klarke . They reside in Potomac , Maryland . Legal troubles . Wilkinson has been involved in a few lawsuit s since the start of his professional career . In 1996 , Wilkinson pleaded no contest to the charge of domestic violence . He was subsequently found guilty of striking his pregnant girlfriend . Wilkinson ' s girlfriend , however , stated that she did not wish to pursue prosecution . In March 2006 , Capital Centre LLC , a joint project headed by the Cordish Company and Washington Sports & Entertainment , sued Wilkinson . The suit alleged that Wilkinson was personally liable for a breach of contract related to a lease the two parties had agreed to . On April 3 , 2006 , The Maryland federal district court issued an opinion on the validity of the case .