Zeke Motta

Ezekiel "Zeke" Ranieri Motta (born May 14, 1990) is an American football safety who played for the Atlanta Falcons for two seasons. He was drafted by the Falcons in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.

Zeke Motta
Motta in 2013
No. 41
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1990-05-14) May 14, 1990
Vero Beach, Florida
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Vero Beach (FL)[1]
College:Notre Dame
NFL Draft:2013 / Round: 7 / Pick: 244
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:16
Forced fumbles:0
Fumble recoveries:0
Pass deflections:1
Interceptions:0
Player stats at NFL.com

High school career

Motta attended Vero Beach High School in Vero Beach, Florida, where he was teammates with Bryan Stork.[1] He tallied 137 tackles including eight tackles for a loss and three sacks during senior campaign at Vero Beach High School, and was named first-team Class 6A all-state as a senior. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas in 2009.[2] Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated the No.5 outside linebacker prospect in the nation.[3] He accepted a scholarship offer from Notre Dame over offers from Auburn and Boston College.[4]

College career

In 2009, Motta was one of three freshmen to play in every game. He mostly contributed primarily on special teams and also moved back and forth between outside linebacker and safety, and recorded 12 tackles. As a sophomore, he played in all 13 games, in which he started 8. He totalled 50 tackles (30 solo, 20 assisted) which ranked seventh on the team. He added one and a half tackles for loss, one fumble recovery, one interception and two pass breakups. In his junior season, he played in all 13 games, starting eight at safety. He tallied 40 tackles, one interception, one pass breakup, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. In his final season, he tallied 77 total tackles, including 16 in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game against the Alabama Crimson Tide.[5][6] He also had two tackles for loss, three pass break ups, four pass deflections and a fumble recovery.

Professional career

He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round (244th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.[7] He signed with the Falcons on May 17, 2013.[8] On April 2, 2015, he was waived by the Falcons. In 2017, Motta filed personal-injury lawsuit against Falcons doctors over inadequate treatment.[9][10]

References
  1. Foster, Fran (June 7, 2017). "Life lessons along the way". TC Palm. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  2. Pfahler, Laurel (November 22, 2007). "Vero Beach's Motta likes to push the right buttons". TCpalm. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  3. https://sports.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Zeke-Motta-82016
  4. Hamilton, Brian (20 September 2012). "Motta a man of his word(s)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  5. Ulm, Cody (29 December 2012). "BCS Championship: Zeke Motta ready for final game". SB Nation Chicago. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  6. Wells, Dusenbury (January 7, 2013). "Vero Beach's Zeke Motta and father will share one last Irish moment at BCS title game". ESPN West Palm. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  7. Santucci, Jon (April 27, 2013). "Vero Beach High School graduate Zeke Motta drafted by Atlanta Falcons". TC palm. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  8. Choate, Dave (May 17, 2013). "Falcons Ink Zeke Motta". The Falcoholic.
  9. Walters, Courtney (12 November 2015). "Former Falcon Says Doctors Let Him Play Hurt". Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  10. "Former Vero High football star suing over NFL injury". Vero News. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
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