Justin Bannan

Justin Lewis Bannan (born April 18, 1979) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Bannan also played for the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, St. Louis Rams, and Detroit Lions, and played college football at Colorado.

In 2019, Bannan wounded an acupuncturist when he shot her in the shoulder as she entered her treatment room, where he had been hiding. Bannan was sentenced to sixteen years imprisonment for attempted murder and felony assault in 2022.

Early life
Bannan graduated from Bella Vista High School in Fair Oaks, California, in 1997 and was a letterman in football and basketball. Bannan received a scholarship to play football at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was a starting player from 1997 to 2001.

Buffalo Bills
Bannan was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round (139th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft and played for them through the 2005 season.

Baltimore Ravens
Bannan joined the Baltimore Ravens before the 2006 season and played for them until 2009. In the 2008 season, he set a personal-best with 30 solo tackles (56 total), one sack and one interception.

Denver Broncos (first stint)
On March 5, 2010, Bannan signed a five-year contract with the Denver Broncos. On March 3, 2011, the Broncos released Bannan.

St. Louis Rams
Bannan signed with the St. Louis Rams on July 30, 2011. He was released following the 2011 season on March 12, 2012.

Denver Broncos (second stint)
On April 11, 2012, Bannan signed a one-year deal with the Broncos.

Detroit Lions
On August 15, 2013, Bannan signed a contract with the Detroit Lions. Bannan was released from the Lions on September 25, 2013.

Post-football career
Bannan partnered with his former Broncos teammate Chris Kuper to co-found Black Lab Sports, a sports technology incubator and venture capital firm. The company opened an office in Boulder, Colorado in 2015. The company made its first investment into iSplack, a company that manufactures custom eye black.

Criminal conviction
On October 16, 2019, Bannan shot and wounded an acupuncturist as she was entering her locked treatment room. Bannan had been crouching in the corner of the office, which was located in a building shared by Bannan's Black Lab Sports company. When he was arrested, he told police that he was hiding from the Russian mafia and had disposed of his cell phone because he believed someone was tracking him. He also told police he was suffering from hydrocephalus. He had a backpack with him that contained two .45-caliber handguns, as well as a rolled bill containing cocaine residue.

Bannan pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and his lawyer argued that multiple head injuries sustained over his football career could have contributed to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease that has been linked to repetitive head trauma. Prosecutors argued that his paranoia was linked to his drug abuse. Bannan was found guilty on one count of first-degree attempted murder, one count of second-degree attempted murder, and two counts of felony assault. He was sentenced to sixteen years in prison, which was the mandatory minimum sentence for his conviction. The victim had requested he receive the minimum sentence, but maximum probation and mandatory drug treatment. The victim filed a civil lawsuit against Bannan and Black Lab sports in 2020.

Personal life
Bannan grew up in Sacramento, California, where his father ran a construction company. He has a brother who is six years older than him. Bannan became interested in finance when he joined the NFL, and described investing as a hobby.

Bannon married his wife Sommer in 2011. The couple has one child together. They divorced in 2014. In 2015, Bannan had a child from a different relationship.