Brian Patrick Cushing was born on January 24,1987 and is an American former profesional football player who was a linebacker for the Houston Texans of the National Football League.
39 Facts About Brian Cushing
2.
Brian Cushing played college football for the USC Trojans, and was selected by the Texans in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
3.
Brian Cushing played his entire nine-year career with Houston from 2009 to 2017 and became the team's all-time leading tackler.
4.
Brian Cushing was named "2004 North Jersey Player of the Year" by The Record, and played in the 2005 US Army All-American Bowl alongside future USC teammates Patrick Turner, Rey Maualuga, and Mark Sanchez.
5.
Brian Cushing was recruited by top colleges, including Notre Dame, Georgia, and Penn State before eventually committing to the University of Southern California.
6.
Brian Cushing attended the University of Southern California and played for the USC Trojans football team from 2005 to 2008 under head coach Pete Carroll.
7.
Brian Cushing shared the No 10 jersey with Trojans starting quarterback John David Booty from 2005 to 2007.
8.
Brian Cushing was on Phil Steele's 2007 pre-season All-America team and on the 2007 Bednarik Award and Lott Trophy watch lists.
9.
Brian Cushing returned a failed onside kick attempted by Notre Dame at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a late fourth-quarter touchdown on November 25,2006.
10.
Brian Cushing was named AP 2nd Team All-American as a senior despite having pedestrian statistics.
11.
Brian Cushing was one of twelve senior USC players, including the four senior linebackers Brian Cushing, Kaluka Maiava, Clay Matthews III and Rey Maualuga, invited to the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine.
12.
Brian Cushing participated in the 2009 Senior Bowl with Maualuga, Matthews, Patrick Turner and others.
13.
Brian Cushing was drafted in the first round with the 15th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.
14.
Brian Cushing had one of the best defensive seasons by a rookie in NFL history.
15.
Brian Cushing scored his first career points on October 4,2009, when he recorded a safety against the Oakland Raiders.
16.
Brian Cushing was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 6 of the 2009 NFL Season, becoming the first rookie to earn the award in the 2009 season.
17.
In Week 8, Brian Cushing was again named AFC Defensive Player of the Week, becoming the first Texans rookie to win the award twice in one season.
18.
Brian Cushing was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for November 2009.
19.
Brian Cushing finished tied with Ray Lewis for the AFC lead with 133 tackles and added 4 sacks, 10 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles.
20.
Brian Cushing was selected to the 2010 Pro Bowl as a starter.
21.
Brian Cushing was one of three rookies to make it to the Pro Bowl, another being a former USC teammate.
22.
On January 5,2010, Brian Cushing was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
23.
Brian Cushing is the second Texan to win the award, the first being DeMeco Ryans in 2006.
24.
On May 7,2010, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Brian Cushing would be suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy, after he tested positive in September 2009 for having above-normal levels of the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone in his system.
25.
Brian Cushing had previously denied rumors of having used performance-enhancing substances prior to being drafted.
26.
Brian Cushing then stated that he would undergo further medical tests to determine how hCG entered his system.
27.
Brian Cushing still denies that he ever ingested or injected any performance enhancers and claimed the test result could have been from a cancerous tumor.
28.
On May 12,2010, in a revote of the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award after his suspension was made public, Brian Cushing again received the most votes, thus retaining his award.
29.
Brian Cushing was named Team MVP and while he wasn't voted to the Pro-Bowl he earned AP 2nd Team All-Pro honors after finishing the season with 114 tackles, 4 sacks, 5 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles.
30.
Brian Cushing was placed on injured reserve, ending his 2012 season.
31.
Brian Cushing inked a six-year deal with the Houston Texans, a contract extension worth $55.6 million, which included $21 million guaranteed.
32.
Brian Cushing had 17 tackles in their loss to the New York Giants, tying the franchise record for tackles in a game.
33.
On September 13,2017, Brian Cushing was suspended for ten games for again violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
34.
On February 20,2018, Brian Cushing was released by the Texans after nine seasons as the franchise's all-time leading tackler.
35.
On January 29,2019, Brian Cushing was hired to work with strength and conditioning coaches and offer some assistance to players on defense with the Houston Texans of the National Football League.
36.
Brian Cushing's mother, Antoinette, is of Polish descent; she was born in 1944 at a German forced labor camp.
37.
Brian Cushing's father, Frank, was an intelligence officer in the Vietnam War.
38.
Brian Cushing is married to his college sweetheart Megan, an athlete who had success on USC's women's soccer squad; they began dating just prior to Brian Cushing's NFL draft.
39.
Brian Cushing's sister-in-law is soccer player Kealia Ohai, who is married to his former Texans teammate JJ Watt.