One good example of a man who came from a stormy childhood to the limelight is Jonathan Allen, an American football player for the Washington Redskins. The football star is a defensive lineman who was recruited in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft as the 17th overall pick. Prior to turning pro, he played football in college with the University of Alabama team, Crimson Tide. His days as a student were marked with very astonishing stats that projected him for the National Football League draft at the right time.
Jonathan Allen Spent His Early Days With His Mum Who Suffered From Mental Instability
The star footballer was born on the 16th of January in the year 1995 in Anniston Alabama but he moved to different cities during his turbulent childhood. This may be linked to the fact that his father Richard Allen was a military nuclear biological chemist at the time.
Jonathan’s mother suffered mental instability. She became paranoid at a point and refused to allow her sons to communicate with their father. She also withdrew them from school for a protracted period of time and moved to South Carolina. However, in 2004, a court granted Jonathan’s father full custody of the kids after they had spent some years in foster care and imposed it on their mother to undergo a psychological evaluation program, which she, however, did not attend.
Growing up Under His Dad and the Budding of His Football Passion
At the age of 9, Jonathan Allen developed a keen interest in football and played in the park along with his elder brother (who was 9 years older than him). He often played with boys much older and bigger than himself but was able to hold his own with them.
Jonathan recalled how his dad had raised them with martial discipline and ensured they made up for the school years they had missed while with their mum. Richard Allen settled for nothing but excellence in everything for his sons who equally made good grades in school. Jonathan even excelled in playing the trombone.
When he enrolled in Stone Bridge High School in Virginia, Jonathan played in the school’s football team. In his senior year, he was awarded the Gatorade Football Player of the Year 2012. His high school activities in the game saw him recording a stat of 308 tackles and 44 sacks. In fact, the promising footballer emerged as a five-star recruit, and consequently, he was ranked amongst the top of his class. Upon graduation, Jonathan Allen committed to play college football for his choice institution of higher learning, the University of Alabama
He Recorded Impressive Stats During His Days at The University of Alabama
True to his commitment, Jonathan Allen proceeded to the University of Alabama thereafter where he played college football with the school team. In his first year, in 2013 the youngster was a true freshman at Alabama playing a total of 13 games with a record of 16 tackles. Allen’s sophomore year was in 2014 and saw him playing 14 games in which he started 12 of them. His record of 33 tackles and 5.5 sacks earned him first-team All-Sec.
The American footballer started all 14 games in the third year which was in 2015. Jonathan Allen’s efforts led his team the Crimson Tide to do exploits in college football; through his immense contribution as a linebacker, Allen’s team won the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship by a score of 45–40 over the Clemson Tigers.
Jonathan Allen Went Pro in 2017
Allen’s professional career began in 2017 with the Washington Redskins. Coming out of Alabama, It was predicted that he would make the top 5 picks. However, this was not to be as Allen was diagnosed with arthritis in one of his shoulders and consequently, he had to undergo surgery on both shoulders. A couple of weeks to the combine, NFLDraftScout.com, Pro Football Focus, and Sports Illustrated ranked him as the top defensive tackle. Jonathan Allen came behind Myles Garrett in the ESPN ranking for the best defensive end.
Even with his diagnosis, he was still projected to be a first-round pick by scouts and analysts. However, he ended up as the 17th pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft on April 27, 2017, by the Washington Redskins. Allen signed a 4-year contract worth $11.59 million with the Redskins on the 11th of May 2017. The deal included a fully guaranteed signing bonus of $6.57 million.
Jonathan Allen’s first career sacks were recorded in a week three game against the team of the Oakland Raiders. Unfortunately, the player incurred a Lisfranc injury in a week six game against the San Francisco 49ers which led to him undergoing surgery and was later placed on injured reserve on the 17th of October 2017.
He bounced back for the 2018 season starting all 16 games. Allen recorded eight sacks, 61 total tackles, and 15 quarterback hits. On the 27th of April 2020, his team the Redskins exercised the fifth-year option on his contract.
Jonathan Allen’s time with the Redskins has been fraught with quite a number of losses. Nevertheless, Allen has demonstrated that he knows how to grow while losing. In a media report, he said “I think our ceiling has always been as high as we want it to be, I really don’t get too caught up on what we can do. I just get caught up on what we have done. We just have a lot to prove.”
What We Know About The Footballer’s Family
Jonathan has been very quiet about his mother’s identity as he reveals that his parents got divorced when he was just two years old and alongside his elder brother, Richard III, Jonathan had to stay in a number of hotels with their mum when their father was off on military duty in South Korea.
However, as a result of their mother’s mental problems, she couldn’t take proper care of the boys and at such, the social services of Southern Carolina had to take Jonathan and his brother away from her. This action saw both parents and the social services in a lawsuit until the boys were recovered and handed over to their father in 2004. He then raised them in a normal home along with his new wife. Their biological mother was placed on psychological examination and treatment – though they never heard from her again. Jonathan has 2 step-siblings from his father’s second marriage.
Meet Jonathan Allen’s Only Known Girlfriend Who Later Became His Wife
Jonathan Allen’s only known girlfriend, Hannah Franklin, eventually became his wife. Franklin who spent her formative years in Illinois is an athlete in her own right. She has completed a good number of half marathons, which include the Hotlanta Half Marathon and races in both Minneapolis and Chicago.
The couple has been together since they met in a study class at the University of Alabama since 2015. Jonathan proposed to her 10 days before he was drafted into the NFL in April and they marched to the altar in July 2018. Their union was cemented at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Tuscaloosa, Ala. and their social media account has been inundated with their wedding photos.
Even though he came from Ashburn Jonathan Allen took the decision to host his wedding reception at Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium where it was well attended by family and friends. The couple has been together ever since. Though it may be too early to expect the cry of a baby in their home, fans a quite hopeful.
