Jonathan Babineaux

Infobox NFLactive


currentteam=Atlanta Falcons
currentnumber=95
currentposition=Defensive tackle
birthdate=birth date and age|1981|10|12
birthplace=Port Arthur, Texas
heightft=6
heightin=2
weight=288
debutyear=2005
debutteam=Atlanta Falcons
college=Iowa
draftyear=2005
draftround=2
draftpick=59
pastteams=
* Atlanta Falcons (2005-present)
statweek=17
statseason=2007
statlabel1=Tackles
statvalue1=103
statlabel2=Sacks
statvalue2=4.5
statlabel3=INTs
statvalue3=1
nfl=BAB717191

Jonathan Joel Babineaux (born October 12, 1981 in Port Arthur, Texas) is an NFL defensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted with the 59th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

High school career

Babineaux attended Lincoln High School in Port Arthur, Texas. In football, as a senior, he was the team captain, and a first team All-Conference linebacker. He also was an excellent punter, averaging 40 yards per punt. In basketball, he helped his team to be ranked the best in the state of Texas. He also participated in baseball.

College career

Babineaux attended the University of Iowa. He finished his college career with 131 tackles (39 for losses), 19 sacks, 24 quarterback hurries, one interception, two pass deflections, four fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles.

Animal cruelty charges

In February 2007, authorities accused Babineaux of killing his girlfriend's pit bull mix Kilo, who died from severe head trauma. Perhaps because Babineaux is not as famous as Michael Vick — as he is a back up and Vick was a star quarterback—and because the case involves the death of only one dog, this story has not received very much coverage in the media.

Authorities claim Babineaux killed Kilo by smashing his head in after an argument with Kilo's guardian, Babineaux's girlfriend Blair Anderson. Babineaux claims the death was unintentional, because a dog trainer instructed him to swing Kilo by his leash if he acted aggressively, and that he accidentally slammed the dog's head into a wall while doing so. Soon after his arrest, police released Babineaux on $2,300 bail, and he faced felony charges of animal cruelty. A conviction could have sent him to prison for up to five years and cost him $15,000 in fines. However, on November 7, 2007, Babineaux was cleared of any wrongdoing by Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter, and thus the charges were droppedcite news
title = Falc's Babineaux cleared of felony animal cruelty
url = http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3099082
publisher = ESPN.com
date = 2007-11-07
accessdate = 2007-11-07]

Personal life

* Jonathan is of Creole descent.
* He is the older brother of Seattle Seahawks safety Jordan Babineaux.
* His high school classmates affectionately called him "Monsta"

References