Former University of Washington and NBA standout Nate Robinson is seeking a shot at the NFL.
Robinson, the one-time 12 Flag Raiser and highly-energetic Seahawks fan, made the announcement in a YouTube video released late last week.
"If you ask people around here, they'll know," the Seattle native Rainier Beach product Robinson, 31, said in the video. "Nate Robinson, his best sport is football. And people tell me all the time, if anybody can do it, go play football, it's you."
Most know Robinson for his elite athleticism on the basketball court, where the 5-foot-9 180-pounder became the NBA's first three-time slam dunk champion. But he originally enrolled at Washington on a football scholarship before deciding to devote his time to basketball starting with his sophomore year. As a freshman for the Huskies in 2002, Robinson played in all 13 football games, starting the final six at cornerback, recording two picks and 34 tackles that year.
"The first time I knew who Nate was we were getting ready to play Washington and you've got to go to the scouting reports," said Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Mercedes Lewis, who played his college ball at UCLA. "He was on the list as a 'game wrecker' and when a coach puts you on the list as being a 'game wrecker' that means that you have the ability to take over a game."
Added former Huskies football coach Rick Neuheisel, who coached Robinson in 2002: "He knows where to be. He feels the game. The guy has what it takes to play football at the highest level."
Just one person has played in both the NBA and the NFL, that being Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant, a mentor and friend of Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll who played two seasons in the NBA before playing two years in the NFL. After 10 years in the NBA with eight different teams, Robinson is serious about becoming the second player to make the switch.
"I haven't played in 11 years, 12 years, but I know how to tackle, I how to play, I know how to hit, I know how to catch, I can get picks, I can get deflections … I know it all," Robinson said. "If somebody gave me a real opportunity, I know I could play."
