Ahmad Bradshaw

Ahmad Bradshaw (born March 19, 1986) is an American football running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He played college football at Marshall.

Born was born in Bluefield, Virginia to Diana Davis and James Bradshaw, and played high school football at Graham High School. He was ranked as the #7 player in Virginia and the #28 running back prospect in the country by Rivals.com. He rushed for 2,282 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior and 2,557 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior, totaling 5,265 yards and 92 touchdowns while averaging nearly ten yards a carry for his high school career.

Bradshaw originally signed a letter of intent to Virginia and arrived in Charlottesville for football practice, but was kicked off the team by Al Groh before his first season started, after being arrested for underage drinking and running from police. He then enrolled at Marshall University.

College Career

Freshman Year (2004)

With the Thundering Herd, Bradshaw only had 462 yards and three touchdowns in his freshman season in 2004, but also totaled 187 yards receiving on 14 receptions for two touchdowns. He missed two games that season, the Georgia and Miami games, due to an ankle sprain. He also recorded nine punt returns for 108 yards and 15 kick returns for 322 yards as a freshman. Bradshaw rushed for a then career-high 145 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown run, in just eight first half carries against Western Michigan. His other signature performance of the season came against Kansas State University, when he took a screen pass 75-yards for a score.


Sophomore Year (2005)

Bradshaw rushed for 997 yards and totaled 1,382 all-purpose yards en route to becoming a second-team All-Conference USA selection as a sophomore in 2005. He was the team's leading rusher and receiver as well. In the season-opener against William and Mary, Bradshaw rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown with 73 yards and a score receiving. He rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in the loss to #3 Virginia Tech. He followed it up with a then career-high 133 yards against the University of Texas-El Paso and eclipsed the mark the following week in the Herd's overtime loss to Southern Miss with 150 yards and a score. Bradshaw's best performance came against East Carolina, when he rushed for a season and career-high 187 yards with two touchdowns along with 51 yards on eight receptions. He added a season-long 56-yard run against ECU as well.


Junior Year (2006)

Bradshaw's best season of his college career came as a junior in 2006, when he totaled 1,523 yards rushing, for 19 touchdowns, and 129 receiving yards for two scores. He was eighth in the nation in rushing yardage and tied for third in rushing touchdowns. In the Herd's second game of the season against Hofstra, Bradshaw ran for 152 yards and four touchdowns. Against the University of Central Florida, he ran for 181 yards and a score. Bradshaw's first out of two 200-yard games of the season came two weeks later against the University of Alabama-Birmingham, when he rushed for 242 yards and two touchdowns. His best game of the season and his career came against UTEP, when he rushed for career-highs of 261 yards and five touchdowns. Bradshaw was in contention for Conference USA Player of the Year and earned first-team all-Conference USA honors.


Professional Career

2007

Bradshaw was drafted in the seventh round pick 250 in the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. In two games he fumbled twice on kickoff returns, once for a touchdown. He was fourth in the NFC with a 26.0-yard kickoff return average when the Giants replaced him with veteran Reuben Droughns. Bradshaw returned to returning kickoffs for the November 18 game against the Detroit Lions.

Injuries to teammates Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward, and the disappointing play of Reuben Droughns, gave Bradshaw his first regular season carries, against the Minnesota Vikings. He gained 29 yards on four carries. On December 23, 2007, he scored his first NFL touchdown on an 88-yard run in the 4th quarter against the Buffalo Bills. It was the third longest run in Giants history and the longest run of the 2007 season. He finished the game with a career-high 151 yards on 17 carries.

Bradshaw was used more frequently, as a change of pace back to Brandon Jacobs, during the Giants 2007 playoff run. He had a great performance in the NFC Championship game, including what-if not for a holding penalty-would have been a 52-yard touchdown run. He contributed greatly to his team's success in Super Bowl XLII, gaining 42 (the most of all running backs) and even recovering a fumble by quarterback Eli Manning. The Giants went on to defeat to the previously undefeated New England Patriots, ending their bid for a perfect 19-0 season.


2008

Bradshaw averaged 6.7 yards per carry as the third running back for the Giants. He was reduced to third string running back due to a strong performance by Derrick Ward who finished the season with more than 1,000 rushing yards.

Legal Troubles

In 2004, Bradshaw was dismissed from the football team at the University of Virginia after an incident with the law. He pleaded guilty to underage drinking and resisting arrest. After police attempted to break up a party, he fled the scene in an effort to avoid police. The results were two misdemeanor convictions and a probationary sentence. Bradshaw never played a down for the Virginia Cavaliers.

During his junior year, Bradshaw was sentenced to two years probation for petty larceny. He, allegedly stole a PlayStation from another student's dormitory room. Two years later in June 2008, he was sentenced to 60-days in Abingdon Regional Jail for violating probation for a sealed juvenile charge. Bradshaw cut a deal in which he was able to serve his time in the off-season. In 2008, he served 29 days and reported to training camp on time. On February 15, 2009, he surrendered himself to Virginia authorities in order to finish the final 31 days of his sentence.