Robert Wayne Thomas (born July 17, 1980) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the early 2000s. He played college football for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and was recognized as a consensus All-American. The St. Louis Rams picked him in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft, and he played professionally for the Rams, Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders of the NFL. Early years Thomas was born in El Centro, California. He was raised in a family with three brothers and a sister. He graduated from Imperial High School in Imperial, California, where he played for the Imperial Tigers high school football team. Thomas' older brother Stan was an offensive tackle in the NFL for four seasons during the 1990s. Robert was on an episode of Guts as a 13 year old where he beat 12 year old Tony and an 11 year old girl. He dominated after Tony took a “digger” according to Mike O Malley. College career Thomas attended University of California, Los Angeles, where he was a history major and played for the UCLA Bruins football team from 1998 to 2001. As a freshman in 1998, he was a reserve inside linebacker making 26 tackles (two for losses), and playing in all 12 games. Thomas became a regular starter as a sophomore, and had 68 tackles despite missing three games. Following his 2000 junior season, he was named UCLA's Defensive Most Valuable Player and was a second-team All-Pac-10 selection after leading the team with 88 tackles (nine for losses) and six forced fumbles. As a senior in 2001, Thomas led the Bruins with 111 tackles (26 for a loss) and had 6.5 sacks, forced two fumbles and defensed five passes. He was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American in 2001. Awards and honors Second-team All-Pac-10 (2000) Butkus Award semifinalist (2000) First-team All-Pac-10 (2001) Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year (2001) Consensus first-team All-American (2001) Butkus Award finalist (2001) Lombardi Award semifinalist (2001) Professional career Pre-draft St. Louis Rams He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams 31st overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. On July 22, 2002, Thomas signed a five-year $5.75 million contract with the Rams. Thomas started 30 games during