Elam accepted a football scholarship from the University of Notre Dame. As a freshman, he initially tried out for quarterback, before being moved to safety on the second day of two-a-day practices. He did not appear in any game. As a sophomore, he appeared in 11 games, making 29 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 sacks, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. As a sophomore in 2002, a felony sexual battery conviction got him expelled from the school. 19 tackles, two INT, ) He attended Palm Beach Community College and worked at a dentist's office. He enrolled at Kent State University in 2004, but because he initially did not receive a scholarship, the Riviera Beach residents raised $20,000 USD to pay for his tuition. As a senior, he appeared in 11 games, making 64 tackles, 3 interceptions, 4 passes defensed and 6 punts returned for a 9.2-yard average.
On February 2, 2006, head coachBill Parcells signed him as a free agent, based on a recommendation from Tucker Frederickson who had a son that played at Kent State University. He registered 15 special teams tackles ad 4 kickoff returns for 95 yards. In 2007, the team decided to keep Courtney Brown instead of Elam during the last cuts of the preseason on September 2, which was a decision they would later come to regret.
On September 12, 2007, the New York Jets signed 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 sent 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 2009, he was reunited with former New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini and was the Browns starter at safety, registering 88 tackles, one sack, 2 passes defensed, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. In 2010, he posted 79 tackles, 2 interceptions, 10 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.
Dallas Cowboys (second stint)
On August 3, 2011, after hiring his former Browns defensive coordinatorRob Ryan, the Cowboys signed him to a one-year contract as a free agent and named him the starter at safety. He started every game, while registering 79 tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He wasn't re-signed after the season.
On June 5, 2012, Elam signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs to provide depth behind Eric Berry, who was returning from a serious knee injury. He wasn't re-signed at the end of the year.
Personal life
Since 1987, three of Elam's siblings were shot to death. His older brother, Donald Runner, was fatally shot in 1987. His sister Christina, was killed in 1999. On May 9, 2008, his older brother Donald Elam was fatally shot; at age 14, Donald was once the youngest person ever indicted for murder in Palm Beach County, though he was later acquitted. 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. His younger brother, Matt Elam played in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens. Son, Kaiir Elam, is a top DB prospect for the 2019 recruiting class, committed to the University of Florida.
