Nnamdi Asomugha’s acting career takes him to Broadway

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Once regarded as the best cornerback in the NFL, Nnamdi Asomugha’s post-playing career is going nearly as well.

The former Raiders, Eagles, and 49ers cornerback stars in A Soldier’s Play, a limited-run Broadway play that closes on March 15. A revival of a Pulitzer Prize-winning military murder mystery, A Soldier’s Play also features David Alan Grier, Blair Underwood, Jerry O’Connell.

Now 38, Asomugha first acted in 2009, with a recurring role as a parole officer in Friday Night Lights. After retiring from the NFL in 2013 (where he was a four-time All-Pro), Asomugha’s has worked both as an actor and a producer. He recently described his current career as a “team sport” like the one he previously mastered.

In A Soldier’s Play, Asomugha has the role initially filled by Denzel Washington when the show first debuted in 1981. Which puts Asomugha in pretty good company as he continues to grow and develop as an actor.

Drafted by the Raiders in 2003, Asomugha became the league’s most coveted free agent after the lockout ended in 2011, with the Eagles stunning everyone by landing him at a time when most believed he’d join the Jets. But his football skills quickly fizzled in Philadelphia. The Eagles released Asomugha after two seasons. He then signed with the 49ers, who released him in November of his first season with the team.