Ken Hamlin

Hamlin entered the National Football League after his junior season at Arkansas where he was considered the Razorbacks best defensive back since Steve Atwater (1985–88).

Hamlin was selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2003 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks.^[4]

As a rookie, Hamlin started 14-of-16 games making Pro Football Weekly's All-Rookie Team. He finished second on team with 96 tackles and was third on the team with 10 passes defended. In his first career start against the New Orleans Saints on September 7, he recorded five tackles and gained national attention after knocking off Donte' Stallworth's helmet on a hit over the middle.

In 2004, he started all of the team's 16 regular season games and finished third on the team with 79 tackles. He was fourth on the team with a career-high four interceptions, which ranked 10th in the NFC. In 2005, he started the first six games of the season, recording 26 tackles, before suffering off-field head injuries. He was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list on November 1 and missed the rest of the season. In 2006, Hamlin started all 16 regular-season games and finished second on the team with 96 tackles while recording three interceptions (led the team), 11 pass deflections, and one forced fumble.

Hamlin was involved in an altercation that allegedly took place between himself and two unidentified men in a Seattle nightclub on October 17, 2005.^[1] According to a police report, Hamlin and his girlfriend were leaving the club at about 2 a.m.,^[1] several hours after the Seahawks defeated the Houston Texans. Hamlin's girlfriend told officers that he placed a hand on another man's shoulder and said, "Excuse me."^[1] The man told Hamlin to stop pushing, and the two men began shoving one another.^[1] According to the report, Hamlin punched the man in the face.^[1] Another man knocked Hamlin down.^[1] Other witnesses told police another man hit Hamlin twice with a street sign.^[1]

Hamlin sustained serious injuries to his head due to a blow from a street sign. He was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition with a fractured skull, a small blood clot and bruising of the brain tissue.^[1] He was released on October 20, 2005, in stable condition. He did not play football for the rest of the season.

In the free agency period of 2007, teams were reluctant to offer Hamlin a multi-year contract because of concerns stemming from his previous head injury. On March 23, he signed a one-year contract worth $2.5 million with the Dallas Cowboys.^[5]

In his first season with the Cowboys, he earned his first Pro Bowl selection, being named a starter for the NFC and was one-of-13 Cowboys selected - setting a team and NFL record. He started all 16 games at free safety recording career-bests with 102 tackles (third on the team) - his first career 100-tackle season - five interceptions (second on the team and tied for ninth in the league) and 14 pass breakups. He made his Cowboys debut against the New York Giants on September 9, recording nine tackles and one pass breakup.

After the season, on February 21, 2008, the Cowboys placed a franchise tag on him, insuring he would play at least one more year with the team.^[5] On July 15, he was rewarded with a six-year, $38 million contract.^[5] In 2008, Hamlin was elected as one of the defensive team captains for the season and finished fourth on the team - first in the secondary - with 92 tackles, along with three pass breakups, one interception, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The next year, he registered 12 starts (missed 4 games with a high ankle injury), 74 tackles and 4 passes defensed. He was released on April 2, 2010.^[6]

Hamlin was signed by the Baltimore Ravens on June 17, 2010. Third on the depth chart behind Haruki Nakamura and Tom Zbikowski,^[7] he was released by the Ravens on Sept 22, 2010.^[8] Hamlin dressed for both regular season games before his release, but recorded no statistics.

On September 29, 2010, the Ravens re-signed Hamlin; taking the roster spot of defensive end Trevor Pryce, who was released and subsequently signed with the New York Jets.^[9] He intercepted Tom Brady when the Ravens played against the New England Patriots.^[10] The Ravens again released Hamlin on November 30, 2010. He played mainly on special teams and had three defensive tackles during his time with the team.

On December 22, 2010, Hamlin was signed by the Indianapolis Colts, filling the roster spot made available when Austin Collie was placed on injured reserve. He played in two regular season games but did not record a statistic. In the playoffs against the New York Jets he posted 3 tackles in a reserve role. He wasn't re-signed at the end of the season.

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ken Hamlin.

• Official website
• Indianapolis Colts bio