Sam Shields is an American soccer player who will play for the Los Angeles Rams starting in 2018, having previously spent his entire career with the Green Bay Packers. The cornerback entered the National Football League as an unchallenged free agent but won the Super Bowl XLV as a rookie. He is also a professional bowler, having made his first and only appearance in 2014.
Bio – Who Is Sam Shields The NFL Cornerback?
Sam Shields was born Samuel George Shields III, son of Sam Shields Jr. and Michelle Shields, on December 8, 1987, in Sarasota, Florida, where he also grew up. He attended the local Booker High School where he participated in athletics, baseball, and soccer teams.
As part of the athletics team, Shields became known as one of the top sprinters in the state of Florida. He mostly belonged to the school relay team that won a state title, but his heart belonged to soccer as Shields excelled in the wide receiver position. In his senior year, he scored 67 receptions over 1,201 yards and 22 touchdowns, which catapulted his team to the class 3A championship game. His achievements earned him athletic scholarships from a number of prestigious programs, but Shields chose to stay in the state and settle for the University of Miami’s offer.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52738783/usa_today_9442128.0.jpg){kind=link}
In his freshman year, Sam Shields started 7 of the 13 games he played and managed a total of 37 receptions, earning him an honorable mention on Sporting News’ All-American rookie team. He was also named to the academic football team of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2006. In his second year, Shields scored 27 receptions for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns, having started only 5 of the 10 games he played in. In his junior year, his fortunes changed when he played all 13 games, but only 11 receptions for 124 yards and no touchdown.
ALSO READ: Who Is Dominique Easley? 6 Facts To Know About The NFL Player
As a senior, Sam Shields switched from the role of a wide receiver to cornerback. In his new position, he was immediately successful, as he managed 41 tackles (28 solos) and one tackle to lose. This earned him the Nick Chickillo Most Improved Player Award in his school’s defense when he joined the NFL.
After a dispute with the law, the planned selection for the seventh round in the 2010 NFL Draft was not fixed, but still received a number of offers from seven teams. Sam Shields then moved on to the Green Bay Packers, where he played for seven years before being dismissed, so that he can join the Los Angeles Rams in 2018.
His Family and Kids
Sam Shields has a daughter named Samyla Shields. It’s not clear who the child’s mother is, but Shields had her long before he became an NFL star. Sam was reportedly the reason her father was arrested in Sarasota, Florida on March 18, 2010. The University of Miami star, who had hoped to be picked up in the 2010 NFL draft, was arrested for possession of marijuana after a search of his grandmother’s house by law enforcement officials who suspected that drugs were being sold from the residence.
ALSO READ: Ingrid Michaelson Profile: 7 Facts You Need To Know About The Musician
Shields was in the house at the time of his arrest, supposedly to pick up his daughter when the raid was carried out. He was taken into custody along with other family members but was released the following day. Shields stated that he was wrongly arrested and about a month later the charges against him were dropped.
After joining the NFL, Sam Shields became engaged to a lady named Melissa Lopez, who is supposedly an actress. The couple had been dating for about three years and lived together in his house after they moved to Green Bay together before Shields abruptly kicked them out in the middle of the night in 2012. The NFL star allegedly woke Lopez up in the middle of the night and threw $300 at her before ordering her to leave, claiming he no longer loved her and had started seeing someone else. According to reports, Shields invited the lady back to the house a few months later, only to later take off his clothes and leave her with nothing in the apartment.
Since that incident, there have been no reports of the cornerback’s antics off the field, and it is not clear whether he and Lopez made up again.