H. B. Blades

Horatio Benedict "H. B." Blades Jr. (born September 30, 1984) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL draft.

H. B. Blades

No. 54
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1984-09-30) September 30, 1984 (age 40) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school:	Plantation (Plantation, Florida)
College:	Pittsburgh
NFL draft:	2007 / round: 6 / pick: 179
Career history
Washington Redskins (2007–2010)
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-American (2006) Big East Defensive Player of the Year (2006) 3× First-team All-Big East (2004, 2005, 2006)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 140 Pass deflections: 1 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

Blades attended Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida where he set school records for tackles in a career (409), season (154), and game (21).

College career

Blades became only the fifth player in school history to record over 400 career tackles. He started and played in 12 games during his senior season at Pittsburgh where he was a First-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and SportsIllustrated.com and was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a First-team All-Big East for the third time. He recorded a career-high 147 tackles (86 solo), 10.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions and two blocked field goals as a senior.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
5 ft 10+3⁄4 in (1.80 m)	236 lb (107 kg)	4.69 s	1.58 s	2.70 s	4.36 s	6.98 s	32.0 in (0.81 m)	9 ft 5 in (2.87 m)	22 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[1][2]

Blades was selected in the sixth round (179th overall) of the 2007 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins.^[3] In his rookie season, he played mostly special teams and recorded 21 tackles. In 2008, he played 16 games with 5 starts and recorded 60 tackles for the Redskins.

Blades was re-signed on August 1, 2011.^[4] On September 3, the Redskins cut Blades just before the start of the 2011 season.

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2007	WAS	16	0	20	15	5	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2008	WAS	16	5	60	40	20	0.0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
2009	WAS	16	1	41	32	9	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2010	WAS	16	1	19	12	7	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		64	7	140	99	41	0.0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2007	WAS	1	0	2	1	1	0.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		1	0	2	1	1	0.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Personal life

Blades is the son of retired Pro Bowl defensive back, Bennie Blades. He is also the nephew of retired Seattle Seahawks wide receiver, Brian Blades, and the late San Francisco 49ers safety, Al Blades.^[5] He is currently^[when?] a football coach at Indian Land High School in Indian Land, South Carolina.^{[citation needed]}

On February 28, 2016, the Washington Redskins filed a lawsuit against Blades to recoup $40,000 the team mistakenly paid him in 2013. The Redskins originally paid Blades a $40,000 severance on September 28, 2012, and then mistakenly paid him an additional $40,000 on December 27, 2013. After arbitration, Blades agreed to repay $20,658.88 in 50 installments, taking out taxes and with-holdings, but he failed to make payments. The arbitrator in March 2016 ordered him to repay the full amount.^[6][7] Judge Alvin Hellerstein noted to terminate this case in favor of Blades paying back the NFLPA on August 3, 2016.^[8]

References

1. "H.B. Blades, Pittsburgh, ILB, 2007 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
2. "H.B. Blades 2007 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
3. "2007 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
4. Fitzgerald, Gary (August 1, 2011). "Redskins Sign Blades, 11 Undrafted Rookies". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
5. Richman, Michael (July 8, 2010). "Blades Contributes In the Clutch". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
6. Clarke, Liz (February 26, 2016). "Redskins sue former player for $40,000 they paid him by mistake". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
7. Kaplan, Daniel (August 3, 2016). "Former Redskins LB H.B. Blades Agrees To Pay Team $20,000". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
8. "Pro Football Inc et al vs Blades et al". PacerMonitor. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.

External links

• Washington Redskins bio Archived 2013-02-06 at the Wayback Machine
• Media related to H. B. Blades at Wikimedia Commons