Brad Muhammad

Brad Hyman-Muhammad (born July 18, 1995) is an American professional gridiron football defensive back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Florida International. Muhammad has also been a member of the Cedar Rapids River Kings, Albany Empire, Ottawa Redblacks, and Calgary Stampeders.

Brad Muhammad
No. 36     Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Muhammad with the Stampeders in 2022
Born: (1995-07-18) July 18, 1995
St. Petersburg, Florida
Career information
CFL statusAmerican
Position(s)Defensive back
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight184 lb (83 kg)
CollegeFlorida International
High schoolAdmiral Farragut Academy
Career history
As player
2018–2019*Cedar Rapids River Kings
2019Albany Empire
2020–2022Ottawa Redblacks
2022Calgary Stampeders
2023–presentWinnipeg Blue Bombers
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career stats

Early life

Muhammad was born in St. Petersburg, Florida to his mother Tirica Greene and father Brad Hyman. He attended Admiral Farragut Academy, a private college prep school in St. Petersburg, where he played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track.[1]

In football, Muhammad primarily played wide receiver, while also seeing action at cornerback and as a kick returner. As a senior, Muhammad caught 45 passes for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was named to the Class 2A All-State first-team, but was underrecruited by colleges. Charleston Southern was the only school to offer Muhammad a scholarship, but it expired after the team filled up with defensive backs. Muhammad did not sign with a school, and opted to walk-on at Florida International after enrolling.

College career

Muhammad enrolled at FIU over the summer and joined the football team as a walk-on one week before training camp started in 2013. Nevertheless, Muhammad stood out to the coaching staff, and was quickly elevated to second-team defense.[2] Seven games into his freshman season, Muhammad slept through a walk-through practice, and was dismissed for the rest of the season by head coach Ron Turner.[3] Oversleeping the practice was just one incident in what Muhammad described as a general pattern of tardiness. But despite his dismissal, Muhammad remained committed to eventually rejoining the team, attending practices in addition to going to class and picking up a job at the campus Starbucks.

His outlook on rejoining the team changed in 2016, when Turner was fired and Butch Davis was hired in his place. In the summer of 2017, he was allowed to practice with the team after a discussion between Davis, Muhammad, and his family. In August 2017, Muhammad was awarded a scholarship.[4][5] In his senior season, Muhammad played in all 13 games, making 53 tackles and tallying four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. After the season, he earned second-team all-Conference USA honors. Muhammad graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

Professional career

Cedar Rapids River Kings

In November 2018, Muhammad was signed by the Cedar Rapids River Kings of the Indoor Football League, but never made an appearance for the team.[6][7]

Albany Empire

Muhammad signed with the Albany Empire in 2019 after impressing at a tryout camp in Orlando.[8] In four games, Muhammad made 12 tackles, broke up two passes, and caught one interception.

He was subsequently placed on injured reserve, where he spent the remainder of the year. The 2019 season culminated with Muhammad and the Empire winning ArenaBowl XXXII.

Ottawa Redblacks

On February 18, 2020, Muhammad was signed by the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League.[9] After the CFL canceled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he chose to opt-out of his contract with the Redblacks on September 3, 2020.[10] He opted back in to his contract on December 22, 2020.[11] Muhammad played in five games for the Redblacks in 2021, contributing with 14 defensive tackles. Following the season he was not re-signed and became a free agent in February 2022.

Calgary Stampeders

On April 6, 2022, Muhammad signed with the Calgary Stampeders.[12] He played in 16 regular season games where he had 50 defensive tackles, two interceptions, and one force fumble. Following the 2023 preseason, he was released on June 3, 2023.[13]

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

On June 12, 2023, it was announced that Muhammad had signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[14]

References
  1. "Farragut alumni athletes continue to shine". Admiral Farragut Academy. December 28, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  2. Neal, David (August 15, 2013). "FIU Panthers walk-on makes a quick impression". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2018-07-02. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  3. Villa, Walter (August 24, 2017). "Dumped from team for oversleeping, FIU football player is back with scholarship". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  4. @FIUFootball (August 20, 2017). "Congrats to Brad Muhammad of St. Pete & @AdmiralFarragut on earning a scholarship. Well deserved. Hard work pays off! @FIUFootball" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. Henry, Eric C. (September 7, 2020). "FIU Football: The Importance of a Scholarship for Walk-Ons". Underdog Dynasty. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  6. Ryder, Nic (November 23, 2018). "Cedar Rapids Adds Pair Of Defensive Backs". GoRiverKings.com. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  7. "River Kings Sign Defensive Back Brad Muhammad". Indoor Football League. November 26, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  8. Dougherty, Pete (April 30, 2019). "Rookie secondary plays primary role for Empire". Albany Times Union. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  9. "Transactions: February 18, 2020". OttawaRedblacks.com. February 18, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  10. "Tracking players who have exercised opt-outs". CFL.ca. August 26, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  11. "2020 CFL Transactions". CFL.ca. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  12. TSN ca Staff (2022-04-06). "Stampeders sign DB Muhammad, WR's Christian, McClain - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  13. "Stamps deadline transactions". Calgary Stampeders. June 3, 2023.
  14. "Blue Bombers transactions – June 12". Winnipeg Blue Bombers. June 12, 2023.
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