Marvin Washington

{{Infobox NFL biography

| position = Defensive end

| image = Marvin Washington by Gage Skidmore.jpg

| caption = Washington in 2016

| number = 95, 97

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|10|22}}

| birth_place = Denver, Colorado, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 6

| weight_lb = 285

| draftyear = 1989

| draftround = 6

| draftpick = 151

| high_school = Dallas (TX) Kimball

| college = Idaho, Hinds JC (MS)
(& UTEP basketball)

| teams = * New York Jets (1989–1996)

San Francisco 49ers (1997)
Denver Broncos (1998)
San Francisco 49ers (1999)

| highlights = * Super Bowl champion (XXXIII)

| statlabel1 = Sacks

| statvalue1 = 40.5

| statlabel2 = Games played

| statvalue2 = 155

| statlabel3 = Games started

| statvalue3 = 96

| pfr = WashMa21

}}

Marvin Andrew Washington (born October 22, 1965) is an American former professional football defensive end who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL draft, and played eight seasons for the New York Jets of which he was a starter for six. He additionally played for the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers, accumulating a total of 40.5 sacks in 155 games played during his career. Washington played both basketball and football at the University of Idaho.

College career

Out of Kimball High School in Dallas, Texas, Washington went to the University of Texas-El Paso on a basketball scholarship. After two years, he transferred to Hinds Junior College in Mississippi, where he played football in 1987. Washington then went west to the University of Idaho in Moscow to play for head basketball coach Tim Floyd; he had recruited Washington to UTEP while an assistant coach for the Miners.

At Idaho, Washington played basketball for two seasons under head coaches Floyd and Kermit Davis and football for a season in 1988 under Keith Gilbertson.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lU8tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=idAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3815%2C3053446 |newspaper=Idahonian |location=(Moscow) |last=Jacobson |first=Bryan |title=Floyd hopes to Wash away blemish |date=February 20, 1988 |page=4D }} In his senior year of 1988–89, the Idaho Vandals won Big Sky conference titles in both sports and advanced to the NCAA postseason: the I-AA semifinals in football and the Division I basketball tournament. He recorded a school record 14.5 sacks that year playing the right defensive end position. In 2007, Washington was inducted into the Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame.{{cite web|title=Hall of Fame|url=https://govandals.com/hof.aspx?hof=60|website=govandals.com|access-date=April 11, 2018}}

Professional career

Washington was selected in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL draft by the New York Jets, the 151st overall pick.{{Cite web |title=1989 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1989/draft.htm |access-date=2023-05-27 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WZUrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ldAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1954%2C812145|newspaper=Idahonian |location=(Moscow) |last=Meehan |first=Jim |title=Utley, Washington, Dyko get calls |date=April 24, 1989 |page=1B }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=irsyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zu8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3145%2C6750416 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington)|last=Gerheim |first=Earl |title=Vikings take EWU's Mickel |date=April 25, 1989 |page=C3 }} He played a total of eight seasons for the Jets, the last six as a starter.{{Cite web |title=Marvin Washington Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WashMa21.htm |access-date=2025-06-19 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} Washington recorded a career-high (and team-high) 8.5 sacks in 1992,{{cite web|title=Career highlights|url=http://www.nfl.com/players/profile/3221.html|website=nfl.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000824103149/http://www.nfl.com/players/profile/3221.html|archive-date=August 24, 2000|url-status=dead}} and a career-high 71 tackles the following year.

After his time with the Jets, Washington played a season for the San Francisco 49ers, a season for the Denver Broncos (with whom he won a Super Bowl ring), and returned to the 49ers for his final year {{nowrap|in 1999.}} He finished his career with 40.5 sacks, 386 tackles, and 10 forced fumbles in 155 games played, 96 of which he started.

Medical cannabis advocacy

Washington is an advocate for the medical use of cannabis and an entrepreneur in the cannabis industry.{{cite news|last1=O'Keeffe|first1=Michael|title=Former NFL player Marvin Washington is stepping up for CBD and diversity in cannabis industry|url=https://www.thecannabist.co/2017/03/08/marvin-washington-nfl-cbd-cannabis-industry/74674/|access-date=April 11, 2018|work=The Cannabist|date=March 8, 2017}} In 2017, he was part of a lawsuit filed against Attorney General Jeff Sessions, seeking to overturn the classification of cannabis as a Schedule I drug.{{cite news|last1=Waldron|first1=Travis|title=Former NFL Player Sues Jeff Sessions Over 'Unconstitutional' Marijuana Laws|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marvin-washington-jeff-sessions-marijuana-lawsuit_us_597746f6e4b0a8a40e825949|access-date=April 11, 2018|work=HuffPost|date=July 25, 2017}} Washington is a board member of Athletes for Care,{{cite web|title=Board of Directors|url=https://athletesforcare.org/board-of-directors/|website=Athletes for Care|access-date=April 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407233114/https://athletesforcare.org/board-of-directors/|archive-date=April 7, 2018|url-status=dead}} a group that advocates for athletes on issues of health and safety including the use of cannabis as medicine.{{cite web |title=Cannabis |url=https://www.athletesforcare.org/cannabis |website=Athletes for Care |access-date=April 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501032547/https://www.athletesforcare.org/cannabis |archive-date=May 1, 2019 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Advocate|url=https://athletesforcare.org/advocate/|website=Athletes for Care|access-date=April 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420195631/https://athletesforcare.org/advocate/|archive-date=April 20, 2018|url-status=dead}}

In November 2021, Washington began hosting an online educational show about cannabis named 5th Quarter. The show focuses in particular on the use of cannabis by athletes.{{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=Chris |title=NFL Star Marvin Washington Launches Docuseries Highlighting Cannabis Sports Medicine |url=https://merryjane.com/news/nfl-star-marvin-washington-launches-docuseries-highlighting-cannabis-sports-medicine |access-date=December 26, 2021 |work=Merry Jane |date=November 29, 2021}}