Washington Huskies Part Ways with Nate Dogg’s Son CB Naijiel Hale
Written by Ryan Wright
Former St. John Bosco cornerback Naijiel Hale and the University of Washington have reportedly parted ways per the Seattle Times due to disciplinary problems.
Hale posted a message on Instagram announcing his departure on Friday writing, “I would like to announce that I will be taking my football career elsewhere and thank the university of Washington for everything they’ve taught me. I Thank you coach Lake and Coach Peterson (sic) for being there for me and understanding everything that I go through. Nobody in this world will understand my life yet I’m still moving forward. I’m so thankful to play and start many games as a True Freshmen in the PAC-12 and those memories will stick with me forever. New chapter ahead…. Ride with me.”
The Huskies defense suffered some key losses once the 2014 season ended. Defensive tackle Danny Shelton, linebacker Shaq Thompson, and cornerback Marcus Peters left for the NFL. The only starter returning in the front seven is outside linebacker Travis Feeney. The one bring spot on head coach Chris Petersen’s defense is the secondary with three starters returning highlighted by sophomore Budda Baker.
Hale (5’10”, 182) was expected to contend for a starting position at cornerback after recording 12 tackles with two pass breakups a redshirt freshman in 2014.
As part of the 2014 recruiting class out of high school in Bellflower, California, Hale was considered a 3-star recruit with offers from Boise State, Cal, Nevada, Washington State, Utah, San Jose State, Arizona State, and Nebraska. He was a one-time commit to Arizona before signing with Washington.
Hale’s father, Nathaniel Dwayne Hale a.k.a Nate Dogg, came to fame in the early 1990’s as part of 213, a group consisting of Snoop Dogg, Warren G., and Nate Dogg. Nate Dogg was the producer for Warren G’s smash hit “Regulate” and collaborated with some of rap’s top artists including Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, 50 Cent, Xzibit, Eminem, and Mos Def among others.
In late 2007 Nate Dogg suffered a stroke that began a four year battle with health problems until his death on March 15, 2011. The cause of death was determined to be complications from multiple strokes.
Photo credit: 247sports.com; No. 31 Naijiel Hale