Nnamdi Asomugha Nnamdi Asomugha ( ; ) is a former American football cornerback . He played college football for the University of California , Berkeley , and was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders . He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers . For many years he was frequently mentioned as one of the best shutdown corners in the NFL . Early life . Asomugha was born in Lafayette , Louisiana , to Nigerian Igbo parents . 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 graduating 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 Arts Degree in corporate finance . Professional career . Oakland Raiders . Asomugha was the second Cal player to be drafted in the first round ( 31st overall ) of the 2003 NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders after Kyle Boller was taken by the Baltimore Ravens . 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 . On February 19 , 2009 the Raiders re - signed Asomugha to a complex three - year deal that made him the highest paid defensive back in NFL history . The first two years , worth $ 28 . 5 million , were fully guaranteed . In the third year of the contract , if Oakland wanted to keep Asomugha , it had to pay him the average of the top five highest - paid " quarterbacks " or $ 16 . 875 million , whichever was higher . If the Raiders failed to pick up the option , Asomugha became a free agent with Oakland not having the ability to tag him again . A team captain again in 2009 and the NFL ' s least targeted cornerback by an extremely wide margin , Asomugha was challenged by opposing quarterbacks only 27 times and allowed 13 completions the entire season . After his performance against the Houston Texans , head coach Gary Kubiak said " Asomugha is the best ( corner ) I ' ve seen in a while throughout this league . He ' s big , he ' s fast , they put him out there on an island the whole game . He ' s an exceptional player . " Similar to the past three seasons , Asomugha finished the 2009 season with 34 tackles , 1 interception , and was second in the league with 8 tackles for loss from the cornerback position . Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said " The guy is truly unbelievable . He made himself the best corner in football by his work ethic , the way he studies tape , and he ' s so smart . " Following the 2009 season , Asomugha was selected as a starter for the 2010 Pro Bowl . Asomugha was selected onto The Sporting News 2009 All - Pro Team ( 2nd team ) as well as The Associated Press 2009 All - Pro Team ( 2nd team ) . This would mark his third selection to both the Pro Bowl and All - Pro team in his seven - year career with the Oakland Raiders . In 2010 , Asomugha was selected as a member of the Fox Sports ' s and USA Today ' s NFL All - Decade Team . The shutdown corner lived up to his title once again in the 2010 season . While shadowing the opposing teams top receiver most of the season , Asomugha was still targeted much less than any other cornerback in the NFL . Asomugha allowed just 10 receptions on the 27 passes thrown his way . Most important , Asomugha did not give up a touchdown all year . “ He has extraordinary speed – great speed , ” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said . " He ’ s exactly what you ’ re looking for in a press corner and about as good as you could hope a guy to be . ” When facing the Arizona Cardinals , All - Pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said “ The thing you see on tape for a man of his size , he has incredible hips and amazingly quick feet , and that ’ s just God given ability to be that tall and be able to move and cut and drive on balls the way he ’ s able to . ” . Following the 2010 season , Asomugha was selected as a starter for the 2011 Pro Bowl . Asomugha was selected onto ESPN John Clayton ' s 2010 All - Pro Team as well as Peter King ' s " Sports Illustrated " 2010 All - Pro team . Asomugha was also selected to the prestigious Associated Press 2010 All - Pro Team , his fourth selection as an All - Pro . 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 , Asomugha was asked to play all 5 positions in the secondary . He finished the season with 35 tackles 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 a restructured deal with the team . Dan Graziano , a writer for ESPN commented : " Asomugha wasn ' t a bad player for the Eagles , but he was brought in to be an excellent one - - one of the very best cornerbacks in the entire league - - and he was not that . " San Francisco 49ers . On April 2 , 2013 , Asomugha signed a 1 - 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 to be part of the organization so he can retire as an Oakland Raider . He officially announced his retirement on December 27 , 2013 . Philanthropy . Off the field , education and community service are his focuses . 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 . 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 . Asomugha joined former President Bill Clinton , Matthew McConaughey , and Marie Tillman at the 2009 Meeting of Clinton Global Initiative University ( CGI U ) hosted by The University of Texas at Austin to discuss the importance of global service and student activism . CGI U is President Clinton ' s youth initiative designed to challenge college students to take action on some of the most pressing global issues in areas such as education , poverty and global health . At CGI U , Asomugha spoke to over 1 , 200 student leaders , university presidents and leaders of national youth organizations about his philanthropic efforts in Nigeria and Oakland , CA . He has been an invited guest and has participated in the Clinton Global Initiative every year since 2009 . 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 . Awards . 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 . Essence Magazine selected Asomugha as one of the “ Do Right Men of 2008 ” , highlighting his success and philanthropic endeavors 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 . 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 was presented with the 44th annual Byron " Whizzer " White NFL Man of the Year , the NFL Players Association ’ s ( NFLPA ) highest honor 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 Acting . Asomugha made his first professional acting debut in 2008 on The CW Network sitcom " The Game " . In 2009 , he played the role of Ken Shaw in the season premiere of " Friday Night Lights " Season 4 . In 2010 , He appeared on the TNT ( TV channel ) drama " Leverage " as Walle in the Season 3 episode " The Scheherazade Job " . In 2012 , he made his on - screen feature film debut in " Fire with Fire " starring Bruce Willis , Rosario Dawson and Josh Duhamel . In 2012 , Asomugha also co - wrote , produced and starred in a dramatic short film entitled " Double Negative " Asomugha says he is interested in a career in acting or broadcasting after he retires from football . Asomugha is a co - host of " Sports Sunday " on NBC Bay Area with Raj Mathai , and is also a regular on 98 . 1 KISS FM during the football season . In 2008 , Asomugha was chosen from hundreds of applicants for the NFL Broadcast Bootcamp Asomugha has also appeared in Will Ferrell ' s comedy web series " Funny or Die " , as well as the Comedy Central television series " Kroll Show " , starring Nick Kroll . Personal life . On June 24 , 2013 , Asomugha married actress Kerry Washington . On October 30 , 2013 , it was announced that Washington was currently expecting their first child . Asomugha has a form of color - blindness called deuteranomaly stating 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 .