Position: Safety Name T. McDonald Role American football safety | College: USC Height 1.91 m Roster status: Active Weight 93 kg | |
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Date of birth: (1991-01-26) January 26, 1991 (age 24) NFL draft: 2013 / Round: 3 / Pick: 71 Current team St. Louis Rams (#25 / Safety) Parents Alycia Mcdonald, Tim McDonald Education University of Southern California, Edison High School Similar People Rodney McLeod, Alec Ogletree, James Laurinaitis, Robert Quinn, Trumaine Johnson Profiles | ||
Place of birth: Fresno, California | ||
Timothy "T. J." McDonald, Jr. (born January 26, 1991) is an American football safety for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at USC.
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Early years
McDonald was born in Fresno, California. He attended Edison High School in Fresno, where he played high school football for the Edison Tigers. He was considered the second-best safety recruit in the nation by Rivals.com and Scout.com.
College career
McDonald enrolled in University of Southern California, where he played for the USC Trojans football team from 2009 to 2012. As a freshman in 2009, McDonald was a backup safety and special teamer, recording seven tackles in 13 games. In 2010, he took over as a starter and had a team leading 89 tackles, three interceptions and a quarterback sack. He was a second-team All-Pacific-10 Conference selection. After a successful junior season in 2011, McDonald was highly decorated with awards. He was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and received first-team All-American honors from Pro Football Weekly and The Sporting News.
As a senior, he enjoyed the best season of his career in 2012, leading the team with 112 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, a sack, and two interceptions, and was named second-team All-Pac-12.
St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams
The St. Louis Rams chose McDonald in the third round, with the 71st overall pick, of the 2013 NFL Draft. His rookie year was set back slightly when he fractured his right leg in the Week 4 game against the San Francisco 49ers. He was placed on the team's injured reserve with a designation to return on September 27, 2013. He would return to practice on November 21 and was activated the upcoming Sunday in Week 10 win against the Chicago Bears.
On December 9, 2015, the Rams moved him to injured reserve due to a shoulder injury that would require surgery.
Miami Dolphins
On March 31, 2017, McDonald signed with the Miami Dolphins on a one-year contract. McDonald was suspended the first eight games of the 2017 season for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. On September 2, 2017 following the preseason, McDonald signed a four-year, $24 million contract extension with the Dolphins.
Personal life
McDonald's father, Tim, also attended USC and played 13 years in the NFL. His brother, Tevin, briefly played for the Oakland Raiders in 2015.
On May 10, 2016, McDonald was arrested for DUI, and was charged on September 15, 2016. In January 2017, he pled guilty for his DUI along with possession of drugs. In the aftermath, McDonald was fined $390, received 36 months of probation, and was ordered to undergo 200 hours of community service in addition to attending a three-month alcohol program along with 18 narcotic anonymous classes. On March 29, 2017, while a free agent, McDonald was suspended for the first eight games of the 2017 season for violating the league's personal conduct policy, regarding his previous DUI charge.