Education
He attended Cardinal Newman High School (West Palm Beach, Florida). He attended Palm Beach Community College and worked at a dentist"s office before receiving a scholarship offer from Kent State University in 2004, where he graduated from in 2005 after playing just one year.
Career
He played college football at Notre Dame and Kent State. He also played for the New York Jets, the Cleveland Browns, and the Dallas Cowboys. Elam accepted a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame but a felony sexual battery conviction in 2002 got him expelled from the school.
Miami Dolphins
Elam was signed by the Miami Dolphins in 2005 as an undrafted free agent, but was released during training camp.
Dallas Cowboys (first stint)
Dallas Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells signed him as a free agent in 2006, based on a recommendation from Tucker Frederickson who had a son that played at Kent State University. That season he contributed mostly as one of the tackling leaders in the special teams unit
The team decided to keep Courtney Brown instead of Elam during the last cuts of the preseason on September 2, 2007, which was a decision they would later come to regret. New York Jets
In 2007 the New York Jets claimed him based on a recommendation from Bill Parcells and would start 8 games at safety.
In 2008 he started 9 games.
On April 25, 2009, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns as part of a trade to acquire the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, in order to select Mark Sanchez. Cleveland Browns
In Cleveland he was reunited with former New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini and was the Browns starter at safety. In 2010, he registered 77 tackles, 2 interceptions, 10 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.
Dallas Cowboys (second stint)
In 2011, after hiring his former Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, the Cowboys signed him to a one-year contract as a free agent and named him the starter at safety.
Elam started every game and registered 79 tackles (second on the team), one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. The team didn"t bring him back after the season.
Kansas City Chiefs
On June 5, 2012, Elam signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs. He wasn"t re-signed at the end of the year.
Since 1987, three of Elam"s siblings were shot to death.
On December 1, 2011, Abram"s father died, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones let Abram use his private plane to go to Florida to be with his family. Abram"s younger brother, Matt Elam, was drafted into the NFL in 2013.