:Saleem Rasheed

{{Short description|American football player (born 1981)}}

{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| image =

| number = 51

| position = Linebacker

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|6|15}}

| birth_place = Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lbs = 233

| high_school = Irondale (AL) Shades Valley

| college = Alabama

| draftyear = 2002

| draftround = 3

| draftpick = 69

| pastteams =

• San Francisco 49ers ({{NFL Year|2002|2005}})
• Houston Texans ({{NFL Year|2006}})*
• Calgary Stampeders ({{CFL Year|2008}})

| highlights =

• Grey Cup champion (2008)
• First-team All-SEC (2001)

| statlabel1 = Tackles

| statvalue1 = 58

| statlabel2 = Sacks

| statvalue2 = 1.0

| statlabel3 = Forced fumbles

| statvalue3 = 2

| statlabel4 = Fumble recoveries

| statvalue4 = 1

| pfr = RashSa20.htm

}}

Saleem Abdul{{cite news|last1=Faulk|first1=Kent|title=Former University of Alabama and NFL linebacker Saleem Rasheed begins serving time on plea to teacher sex charges|url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/08/former_university_of_alabama_a_1.html|access-date=December 26, 2016|work=AL.com|date=August 12, 2013}} Rasheed (born June 15, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL).

Rasheed played high school football at Shades Valley High School in Birmingham, Alabama. As a senior, he was named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year.{{cite web |title=Saleem Rasheed 1998 - 1999 ALABAMA FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR |url=https://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com/winner/saleem-rasheed/22211 |publisher=Gatorade |access-date=28 July 2021}}

Rasheed played college football for the University of Alabama between 1999 and 2001. He was selected to the 2001 All-SEC football team.{{cite news |title=Five Vols Named to Associated Press All-SEC Teams |url=https://utsports.com/news/2001/12/4/Five_Vols_Named_to_Associated_Press_All_SEC_Teams.aspx |access-date=28 July 2021 |publisher=University of Tennessee Athletics |date=December 4, 2001 |language=en}}

Rasheed was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2002 NFL draft.{{Cite web |title=2002 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2002/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} As a rookie in 2002, he missed substantial playing time due to a nagging quadriceps injury.{{cite news |last1=Lynch |first1=Kevin |title=49ERS' NOTEBOOK / Injured Rasheed out for Saturday's game |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/49ERS-NOTEBOOK-Injured-Rasheed-out-for-2710251.php |access-date=28 July 2021 |work=SFGATE |date=20 December 2002}}

He also played for the Houston Texans though he was cut during the 2006 preseason.

The Calgary Stampeders signed him on May 7, 2008.{{cite news|url=http://cfldigest.com/stamps-sign-ex-nfler-rasheed/|title=Stamps sign ex-NFLer Rasheed|date=May 7, 2008|publisher=CFL Digest|access-date=May 4, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606092715/http://cfldigest.com/stamps-sign-ex-nfler-rasheed/|archive-date=June 6, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} He helped the Stampeders win the 2008 Grey Cup.

On May 4, 2009, he was released.{{cite news|url=https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=277508|title=Stampeders release Sankey, three others|date=May 4, 2009|publisher=TSN.ca|accessdate=May 4, 2009}}

From 2009 to 2011 he worked as a teacher and coach at Erwin High School.{{cite news|url=http://crime.blogs.tuscaloosanews.com/11348/ex-ua-nfl-linebacker-charged-with-welfare-fraud/|title=Ex-Alabama, NFL linebacker charged with welfare fraud|publisher=tuscaloosanews.com|accessdate=February 9, 2012|archive-date=February 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204191625/http://crime.blogs.tuscaloosanews.com/11348/ex-ua-nfl-linebacker-charged-with-welfare-fraud/|url-status=dead}}

In February 2012, Rasheed was charged with food stamp fraud and falsifying documents in Birmingham, Alabama.{{cite news|url=http://www.waff.com/story/16663998/former-nfl-linebacker-charged-in-ala-with-fraud|title=Former NFL linebacker charged in Ala. with fraud|date=February 2, 2012|publisher=waff.com|accessdate=February 2, 2012}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} He pleaded guilty to receiving $5,551 in food stamps while falsely claiming to be unemployed and, in July 2012, he was sentenced to eight months in prison. Rasheed also pleaded guilty to immigration fraud arising from his allegedly marrying a Moroccan woman and subsequently marrying an American woman without divorcing his first wife. In April 2013, Rasheed was sentenced to three years in prison for having sex with two students while a teacher at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham. Although the students were at or above the age of consent in Alabama, it is illegal for a teacher to have sex with students in the state.