Philippe Gardent (rugby league)

{{Short description|French rugby league footballer and player of American football}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}

Philippe Gardent ({{IPA|fr|filip ɡaʁdɑ̃}}; born 24 March 1979) is a former American footballer and rugby league footballer.

He plays for Crusaders in Championship after failing to make the regular season roster of the National Football League's Carolina Panthers.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/wigan/3599010.stm|title=Crusaders recruit gridiron player|publisher=BBC|date=15 January 2008|access-date=15 January 2008}}

The son of a ski instructor, Gardent began to play American football in his hometown of Grenoble at the age of 17.{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=2956239|title=Frenchman hopes to buck odds and make Panthers roster|work=ESPN|date=31 July 2007|access-date=19 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619233001/https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=2956239|archive-date=19 June 2023|url-status=live}} A linebacker, he spent time on the practice squad of the Washington Redskins in the NFL and played for the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europa (NFLE) from 2005 to 2007. He was named the 2006 NFLE Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league with 70 tackles. He also played for the Berlin Thunder in 2003 and 2004.