Aboushi’s style earns praise from his Texans teammates,
Offensive line mates say former Jet brings needed toughness.
Growing up in Brooklyn, Oday Aboushi became accustomed to the sounds of New York, replete with taxis honking horns, his neighbors’ diverse languages and dialects, and the hustle and bustle of the city Frank Sinatra crooned never sleeps.
That background fostered an aggressive personality in Aboushi, the Texans’ new starting left guard. Claimed off waivers by the Texans on Sept. 16 after he was cut by the New York Jets following a one-game suspension for violating the NFL substance-abuse policy, Aboushi has provided a hardnosed blocking presence and a nasty streak to an injury-riddled offensive line.
“I think that’s what you’ve got to have to play on the offensive line. You play on the offensive line to impose your will on others,” said Aboushi, 24, a former Jets fifth-round pick from Virginia. “That’s got to come naturally to a guy playing up front. Being from New York definitely helps: getting things done, rolling with a fast pace.
“Playing on the offensive line is controlled chaos. You’ve got to be an animal out there. At the same time, you’ve got to be under control and get your technique right.”
Style impresses Brown
Aboushi isn’t the most imposing physical specimen at 6-5, 308 pounds, but his roughneck approach to football has made him a hit with his new teammates.
Texans Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown, out with a broken right thumb Sunday during a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, took note of Aboushi’s go-for-the-throat style, watch- ing how he finished blocks by driving defenders into the ground. Now Brown is back and slated to play next to Aboushi on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome.
“I really like his game, like his demeanor,” Brown said. “He plays with a lot of intensity like myself. Look forward to it.”
A 10-game starter for the Jets last season, Aboushi could solve a problem area for the Texans. Guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, a former second-round pick, has had a lingering calf injury since the first week of training camp and has not established himself as a starter. It’s been just one game, but teammates say Aboushi has injected a tough-minded personality into the offense.
“Duane hit it on the head,” right guard Brandon Brooks said of Aboushi. “He plays with a lot of passion. Fiery guy, intense guy. It’s awesome hav- ing him out there. He’s going 110 miles an hour. Even if he makes a mistake, you best believe somebody is getting hit on that play. “
A practicing Muslim and Palestinian-American who’s a passionate advocate of Palestine, Aboushi has felt misunderstood in the past. When he was drafted by the Jets in 2013, conservative political website FrontPage Magazine portrayed Aboushi as a Muslim extremist and alleged he was promoting an anti-Semitic agenda through social media.
A lightning rod
Aboushi denied being involved in any radical behavior and called the report a lie.
The Anti-Defamation League defended him, as did the Jets, dismissing the report as unfair and farfetched.
Aboushi emphasized he wants both sides in the Israe- li-Palestinian conflict to live in harmony.
“I think when people sit around on a computer all day, they tend to make things up and try to create a story out of nothing,” Aboushi said. “That’s what happened.”
Aboushi is a dutiful observer of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. During that time, Muslims are required to not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset.
Religious observance
Ramadan started in late June this year, concluding before the Jets reported to camp, so Aboushi didn’t have a conflict. He plans to make up any days he didn’t fast after the season, as he’s done previously.
“It’s hard to do,” Aboushi said. “It gets even harder to do during camp. I was blessed this year to do it before camp. It’s a personal decision.”
In March, Aboushi went on a surgical mission to Sudan with the Islamic Medical Association to help repair cleft palates for infants. He was honored by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2011 with a dozen other Muslim athletes at a reception in Washington, D.C., commemorating Eid ul-Fitr, the end of Ramadan.
“I like to help people. That’s really important to me,” Aboushi said. “I’m blessed to be a good person and a good role model. My faith helps me a lot, being a Muslim, preaching about being a good Samaritan, doing the right things. That’s shaped who I am.”
But Aboushi has experienced his most trying year as a pro athlete.
He was suspended by the NFL after being arrested and charged in January in New Jersey with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and issued a summons for driving with a suspended license, careless driving, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle. Caught with a small amount of marijuana and cooperative with officers, Aboushi was given a conditional discharge and assigned to probation for a year, according to court records. The charges will be dismissed in a year if Aboushi stays out of trouble.
“Life is full of ups and downs. The game of football kind of teaches you that,” he said. “It’s never going to be a straight line. It’s not how many times you get knocked down; it’s how many times you get back up. You learn from mistakes. It’s taught me a lot. I’ve matured a lot.
“I’ve seen how the league can take control. I think it makes me more open-minded and less detached. I’ve seen how things can change in a matter of a day.”