Asante T. Samuel Sr. (born January 6, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was born in Accra, Ghana and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He played college football for the UCF Knights and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Samuel also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. He is the father of Asante Samuel Jr., a cornerback who was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers. Early years Samuel was born in Accra, Ghana, and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he attended Boyd H. Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. As a junior quarterback, he threw for 1,800 yards and rushed for 500 yards. As a senior, Samuel concentrated on defense, and earned All-State honors, and finished his senior year with 4 interceptions and 75 tackles. Samuel also managed kick and punt return duties. Ten minutes before kickoff of Samuel's final high school game, he replaced his team's injured starting quarterback. He threw two touchdown passes, intercepted two more, rushed for 80 yards, and even worked on special teams returning kicks and punts. Samuel's top receiver in high school, Todd Devoe, later played for the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos, and was a friend & teammate of future NFL defensive back Benny Sapp. Samuel decreased his 40-yard dash time from 4.5 seconds during his sophomore year of high school to 4.39 seconds entering the NFL. College career Samuel attended the University of Central Florida, majored in business administration, and played for the UCF Knights football team. He finished his college career with 127 tackles (102 solo, 25 assisted), 8 interceptions, and a school-record 38 passes deflected (the previous record was 34 deflections). Samuel also returned 63 punts for 673 yards, for an average of 10.7 yards per return. Professional career New England Patriots The New England Patriots selected Samuel in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. The New England Patriots traded their fourth (128th overall) and fifth round (157th overall) picks to the Denver Broncos in exchange for Denver's fourth round pick (120th overall) in order to draft Samuel. Samuel was the 16th cornerback drafted in 2003. On June 10, 2003, the New England Patriots signed Samuel to a four-year, $1.68 million contract. At the start of the 2004 season,