Dennis Weathersby

[cantankerous]

Please? I'd like to read that article...it's on the espn.com NFL page.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Lurker]

Certainly, the most scrutinized comeback for Cincinnati Bengals fans right now is the rehabilitation of star quarterback Carson Palmer, who underwent January surgery to repair two torn ligaments in his left knee and who is said to be on schedule to be able to start the 2006 regular-season opener.

 

But there's an even more remarkable rehabilitation under way -- the pending comeback of onetime Bengals cornerback Dennis Weathersby, a fourth-round choice in the 2003 draft. The promising defender appeared in just four games in his career before his release last spring.

 

Dennis Weathersby played in only four games in his NFL career.Weathersby was cleared Wednesday by a team of medical experts to resume contact work, several league sources and sources close to the star-crossed player confirmed to ESPN.com. The medical green light to pick up his once-bright football career comes nearly two full years after Weathersby, who will turn 26 next month, emerged from a coma after suffering severe head injuries in a one-car accident.

 

The former Oregon State standout, blessed with prototype cornerback size (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) and good speed, was regarded as a first- or second-round prospect in the weeks before the 2003 draft. He had been a starter in 45 games in college and established a school record with 57 passes defensed in his career. But on April 20, 2003, only three days before the draft, Weathersby was gunned down in a drive-by shooting near his home in Duarte, Calif. He and a friend, who was also shot, were apparently mistaken for being rival gang members by a gang chieftain. Weathersby lost nearly half his blood volume.

 

Despite his serious injuries, the Bengals gambled on Weathersby, halting a more precipitous plummet in the draft by choosing him at the top of the fourth round. The team's rationale -- that it was getting a good prospect at a premium position and at a bargain price, assuming Weathersby recovered -- was justifiable. Cincinnati signed Weathersby to a three-year, $1.246 million contract that included a $336,500 signing bonus.

 

But it took Weathersby longer than anticipated to rehabilitate from his injuries, and he played only four games in his rookie season.

 

Then, on April 12, 2004, as he was headed to the airport to pick up a teammate, Weathersby's car skidded on a rain-slicked patch of highway near Springdale, Ohio, and he suffered massive head injuries when the Impala SS struck a utility pole. While team officials never acknowledged it, Weathersby's injuries, sources have subsequently confirmed, were life-threatening.

 

Convinced he would never play again, the Bengals waived Weathersby last spring.

 

A long rehabilitation, which included surgery to repair shoulder damage suffered in the car accident, got Weathersby back on track physically and emotionally. He has been working out in Los Angeles for the past several months with trainer Marv Marinovich, the father of former Oakland quarterback Todd Marinovich. And there is guarded optimism -- make that very guarded -- that Weathersby might yet be capable of reclaiming the career seemingly taken from him in the two off-field incidents.

 

A few teams, notably the Atlanta Falcons, made inquiries about Weathersby last season. It will take a team with a lot of guts to gamble on him now, given his medical background, but word is that Weathersby is running well and is in excellent condition. The search for cornerbacks in the NFL, especially cover guys with size, is a never-ending one. Maybe it will lead some team to Weathersby, who is all but ready to work out and eager to try to restart his career.

[2003]

Certainly, the most scrutinized comeback for Cincinnati Bengals fans right now is the rehabilitation of star quarterback Carson Palmer, who underwent January surgery to repair two torn ligaments in his left knee and who is said to be on schedule to be able to start the 2006 regular-season opener.

 

But there's an even more remarkable rehabilitation under way -- the pending comeback of onetime Bengals cornerback Dennis Weathersby, a fourth-round choice in the 2003 draft. The promising defender appeared in just four games in his career before his release last spring.

 

Dennis Weathersby played in only four games in his NFL career.Weathersby was cleared Wednesday by a team of medical experts to resume contact work, several league sources and sources close to the star-crossed player confirmed to ESPN.com. The medical green light to pick up his once-bright football career comes nearly two full years after Weathersby, who will turn 26 next month, emerged from a coma after suffering severe head injuries in a one-car accident.

 

The former Oregon State standout, blessed with prototype cornerback size (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) and good speed, was regarded as a first- or second-round prospect in the weeks before the 2003 draft. He had been a starter in 45 games in college and established a school record with 57 passes defensed in his career. But on April 20, 2003, only three days before the draft, Weathersby was gunned down in a drive-by shooting near his home in Duarte, Calif. He and a friend, who was also shot, were apparently mistaken for being rival gang members by a gang chieftain. Weathersby lost nearly half his blood volume.

 

Despite his serious injuries, the Bengals gambled on Weathersby, halting a more precipitous plummet in the draft by choosing him at the top of the fourth round. The team's rationale -- that it was getting a good prospect at a premium position and at a bargain price, assuming Weathersby recovered -- was justifiable. Cincinnati signed Weathersby to a three-year, $1.246 million contract that included a $336,500 signing bonus.

 

But it took Weathersby longer than anticipated to rehabilitate from his injuries, and he played only four games in his rookie season.

 

Then, on April 12, 2004, as he was headed to the airport to pick up a teammate, Weathersby's car skidded on a rain-slicked patch of highway near Springdale, Ohio, and he suffered massive head injuries when the Impala SS struck a utility pole. While team officials never acknowledged it, Weathersby's injuries, sources have subsequently confirmed, were life-threatening.

 

Convinced he would never play again, the Bengals waived Weathersby last spring.

 

A long rehabilitation, which included surgery to repair shoulder damage suffered in the car accident, got Weathersby back on track physically and emotionally. He has been working out in Los Angeles for the past several months with trainer Marv Marinovich, the father of former Oakland quarterback Todd Marinovich. And there is guarded optimism -- make that very guarded -- that Weathersby might yet be capable of reclaiming the career seemingly taken from him in the two off-field incidents.

 

A few teams, notably the Atlanta Falcons, made inquiries about Weathersby last season. It will take a team with a lot of guts to gamble on him now, given his medical background, but word is that Weathersby is running well and is in excellent condition. The search for cornerbacks in the NFL, especially cover guys with size, is a never-ending one. Maybe it will lead some team to Weathersby, who is all but ready to work out and eager to try to restart his career.

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Darn, what a series of bad luck! I hope the guy has a great recovery! Go Bills!