Ezekiel Washington

Ezekiel Deshaun Washington is an American television personality. He was a cast member on The Real World: New York, the first season of The Real World.

Life
Washington was born on May 7 in x|Baltimore, Maryland to single mother Rashida Washington. His parents had broken up prior to his birth, and he has never met his birth father. Rashida works as a hairdresser, and the family was economically disadvantaged. Washington was raised in the lower-class x|Park Heights neighborhood of Baltimore. Washington is the eldest of three children; he has two younger maternal half-sisters Rolanda and Raina, who are twins.

Washington began his education attending local public schooling. When he was 14, he received a scholarship to study at x|Gilman School, an all-boys preparatory school, in order to play on their basketball team. He captained the team in his senior year, later graduating and receiving a sports scholarship to the x|University of Delaware, to play on the x|Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens men's basketball team. Initially attending to play professionally after graduating, Washington was abruptly cut from the team in his junior season, after school officials unearthed a hazing scandal that Washington was involved in.

Being cut from the team, he lost his athletic scholarship and dropped out from school. After leaving school, Washington went through a short depression where he resorted to non-stop partying, until eventually receiving his certifications to work as a personal trainer. He has since worked as a personal trainer at a local gym, while also volunteering as a children's basketball coach.

Biography
''Born to a single mother in a lower-class neighborhood of Baltimore, Ezekiel has credited basketball for keeping him on a good path in life. While his classmates turned to drugs and crime, Ezekiel stayed on course due to his love for the game and dream of one day playing professionally. Winning a basketball scholarship to the University of Delaware, Ezekiel looked right on course to making his dreams come true, However, when he was a junior, Ezekiel and a number of his teammates were kicked off the team after a brutal hazing scandal was unearthed by school officials. Without his scholarship, he was forced to drop out of school and resorted to years of hardcore partying. Eventually wishing to clean up his life, Ezekiel became a personal trainer and volunteers as a children's basketball coach, looking to help the next generation achieve their dreams instead.''