Danny Shelton – Bio, Married, Wife, Brother, Family, Height, Weight

Quick Facts

The job of a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) is not an easy one. From research and experience, we found that the position is strictly reserved for the largest and strongest player in a team. Among other positions, Danny Shelton finds the defensive tackle very suitable and has been excelling on the line while doing his job. The player isn’t hotly sought-after for nothing. He has the skills, charisma, courage, confidence, and ability to flow along with his mates on the field. Ever since he turned pro, the footballer has continued to grow his game from one level of success to another.

Danny Shelton’s Bio (Age)

The son of a Peruvian father and Samoan mother, Danny Shelton was born Daniel Saileupumoni Shelton in Auburn, Alabama, on 20th August 1993. Currently, he features as a defensive tackle for the New England Patriots. The footballer is a graduate of Auburn Senior High School, in Auburn Washington, where he competed in wrestling, throwing, track, and football tournaments.

Shelton was named the 10th best defensive tackle as well as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, after earning second-place finishes in the discus throw (155–7 or 47.50 m) and shot put (54–3 or 16.58 m) at the West Central District 4A Championships which took place in 2010. In his senior year, Shelton recorded a career-best throw of 18.31 meters (60–1) and emerged the winner of the state 4A shot put championship.

He launched his college career in 2011 at the University of Washington, where he joined the Huskies’ track and field and football teams. As a true freshman, he featured in 13 games with one start and gained 11 tackles. The footballer also started every game at nose tackle as a sophomore and junior in 2012 and 2013, recording 0.5 sacks and 45 tackles in the year 2012 and two sacks and 59 tackles in 2013. In 2014, he gained four sacks in a game against Eastern Washington (which won him first-team AP All-America) and later ended the season with nine sacks.

Danny Shelton turned pro in the year 2015 when he was selected in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns as the 12th overall in the first round, making him the first defensive lineman from the University of Washington to be picked in the 1st round since the 1992 NFL draft. The last player to have been picked in the first round was Steve Emtman. The footballer and his team sealed the selection with a four-year deal worth $11.7 million on May 12, 2015. His rookie year saw him feature in 16 games and gaining 36 tackles.

The NFL star changed his jersey number from 71 to 55 in honor of former NFL linebacker Junior Seau and his elder brother Shennon, both of whom wore 55 on the football field when they were alive. Shelton started all 16 games in 2016, recording 1.5 sacks and 59 tackles. He underwent a minor wrist surgery on February 23, 2017, after which his team agreed to trade him along with a 2018 fifth-round draft pick for a 2019 third-round pick to the New England Patriots on March 10, 2018. The deal became official four days later, at the beginning of the NFL year. Danny became a free agent in 2019 after the New England Patriots declined the fifth-year option on his contract on 2nd May 2018.

His Brother

Apart from Danny, Oneone (his mother) also has four other children – Gaston Tui Shelton, Shennon Shelton, and Kelvin Shelton. The name of her only daughter is not known to the public. Gaston is her eldest child; on May 1, 2011, he was shot in the lung after getting involved in a street brawl. According to a press release, the fight started after Gaston, who was visiting a friend in the neighborhood along with his wife and kids, was called to help separate a fight. On getting to the scene, he was punched while recording the incident. Gaston fought back after the punch but he was subsequently overpowered by three men, including a man called Olenthis Woods, who left him with multiple cuts.

He quickly called his wife on the phone to tell his brothers what happened. Not long after, Danny, Kelvin, Shennon, a friend, and their cousin arrived the area and began searching for Woods. They eventually found his apartment but were persuaded to leave by his mother and sister. While they were hanging around outside the house, Woods retrieved a handgun and shot Gatson in the chest after they ignored his warning to leave his home. Shennon on his part was shot in the head, after which Woods attempted to shoot Danny but the gun jammed. Danny quickly brought down the gunman with a chair and gave him a hard beating. Gatson survived, but Shennon died almost immediately.

Following the death of his brother, things changed for the Sheltons, leading Danny to almost quit football. Although the family has not fully recovered from the loss, Oneone is grateful that Danny has changed everything about their family life.

Family – Is He Married, Who’s His Wife?

Danny is happily married to his best friend, Mara Shelton. The couple had been residing in Cleveland alongside their four rescue dogs (Juju, Juicy, Mojo, and Moni) before they exchanged their marital vows. The footballer reportedly proposed to her in the year 2016. It appears they have not given birth to their own children yet.

Height and Weight

The defensive tackle weighs 345 lbs (156 kilograms) in body mass and stands at a height of 1.88 meters or 6 feet 2 inches. According to records, his arm length and hand size are detailed to be 32 inches (0.81 meters) and 10 1⁄4 inches (0.26 meters) respectively.

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