Texans inside linebacker Shawn Loiseau is an undrafted rookie free agent who has come a long way since he was 17 and facing a possible murder charge and life in prison.

Five years ago, Loiseau got into a fight outside his home in Shrewsbury, Mass. He was hit in the head with a pipe, and he responded by putting a gang member in a coma.

Loiseau was charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon, got kicked out of high school, and lost his chance to play for one of the big-time college programs that had shown interest in him.

“The low point was sitting in that jail cell and having my lawyer tell me I might be facing a murder charge that would leave me in there for the rest of my life,” Loiseau said after Tuesday’s OTA.

Loiseau will never forget the Thursday night that changed his life.

“It was a school night, and I was coming home from the gym,” he said. “As I was getting out of my car, two kids in a gang were going to my neighbor’s house. Basically, they challenged me to a fight, and we started going back and forth.

“One had a pipe, and one had a crowbar. My dad came out and got between us. He told them to go away. When I saw they were trying to get aggressive toward my father, I kind of stepped between them, and that’s when I got hit in the forehead with the pipe.

“I went down to one knee. One guy tried kicking me in the face, but I tackled him to the pavement and punched him, and he ended up in a coma. They charged me with assault and battery with a deadly weapon. They said the ground was my weapon. They said I went above and beyond self-defense. I had to get 26 stitches, but he didn’t get charged with anything.”

Redemption arrives

Loiseau figured his promising football career was over. He hoped and prayed he wouldn’t have to spend the rest of his life in prison.

“Fortunately, the kid woke up, and I got out of jail. But my high school wouldn’t let me come back because I had a felony charge,” he said. “I had to take a plea bargain, which was to plead guilty to assault and battery, to get back into high school.”

Loiseau received deferred adjudication, meaning he wouldn’t have a record if he stayed out of trouble for two years. And he has. The only trouble he causes is on the field.

With no offers from Division I schools, Loiseau played at Merrimack College, a Division II school in North Andover, Mass.

“My town was looking at me as a bad guy and a felon,” Loiseau said. “I wanted to clear my name and show people that’s not what I was about. I wanted to show them I wasn’t a punk, that I had leadership ability and goals like winning championships and earning a college degree.”

After agreeing to the plea bargain, Loiseau was allowed to return for his senior year at Shrewsbury High School, helping his squad go 13-0 and win a state championship.



Dominant force

The 6-1, 236-pound Loiseau led Merrimack to conference titles and was voted defensive player of the year. And he earned a degree in criminology.

“And now I’m getting a chance to play in the NFL, and I couldn’t be happier,” he said.

“I try to do everything 100 miles an hour, sideline to sideline. I want to make every tackle, to play as hard as I can on every play to show them (the Texans) I can play on this level. This is a great opportunity for me.

“Looking back, it kind of bothered me that Division I schools wouldn’t look at me, but I had a great career at Merrimack, and I wouldn’t trade that experience. I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way. One is that you get back what you put in, and I’m putting everything I can into (making the Texans).”

john.mcclain@chron.com