Very interesting and well done. I wish I remembered more about that time. Did Joseph actually have an offer?
Jerry From: gatorn...@googlegroups.com [mailto:gatorn...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shane Ford Sent: Sunday, February 28, 2010 9:47 PM To: GATORNEWS Subject: [gatornews] [SUN]: Boateng, Joseph focus on future in NFL [Dooley] Boateng, Joseph focus on future in NFL By Pat Dooley <mailto:dool...@gvillesun.com> Gainesville SUN Columnist Published: Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 9:44 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 9:44 p.m. INDIANAPOLIS -- That they are here is the proof, the answer to the questions they asked when things didn't make much sense. To get to the NFL Combine, they both had to go through Gainesville and there met disappointment of different types. But Linval Joseph is here. And Nyan Boateng is here. Not everybody gets invited to the NFL Combine. They did. And whatever happened in the past, they now understand, happened for a reason. "I'm still a Gator at heart," Boateng said. "Florida broke my heart," Joseph said. Different stories, same result. Indianapolis. Boateng came to Gainesville with dreams that were twice the size of most athletes -- he wanted to win national championships in both football and basketball. Instead, he ended up with a different kind of double -- two off-the-field incidents. "I don't regret anything I've done," said Boateng on Saturday. "I'm here now. I can't look back." If he did, he'd see a checkered career without a lot of productivity. But his raw ability earned him a ticket to Indianapolis where he hopes to convince NFL coaches and general managers that he can be a better pro player than he was a college player. Boateng was one of the few jewels of Urban Meyer's first class. A gifted athlete who wanted to play both football and basketball, Boateng spent a lot of time on the phone with Billy Donovan during his recruitment. He wanted to win championships. Florida did, two each in football and basketball. It's just thatBoateng wasn't around. He felt betrayed when, he says, Meyer told him to stick with football after his freshman season. "I felt like there were some broken promises," he said. "I was kind of misled a little bit. He didn't think me playing basketball was a good idea. Down the road, he'd give me an opportunity. But I knew what he was saying, that basketball was out." Boateng had played in five games as a true freshman, catching four passes before an ankle injury cut his season short. Off the field, Boateng was involved in a fight with a girlfriend who stabbed him. Meyer suspended Boateng from all team activities and told the team to stay away from him because a weapon was involved. No charges were filed and the wound was minor. But Boateng started wondering if Florida was where he wanted to be. "I was a victim and he made the premature decision to suspend me," Boateng said. "I was kind of marked after that. People didn't look at me the same way." Boateng decided to transfer but had to return to Gainesville in 2007 to settle a legal matter. He was staying with an ex-girlfriend who he claims texted him saying she was going to burn his clothes. Boateng went to the apartment and kicked the door in. He was arrested although no charges were filed and he was released. "I made some immature decisions," he said. "I was 18 years old, taking advantage of college life. I had to get away from there. There were a lot of distractions at Florida. When you're a football player at Florida, girls are going to throw themselves at you." His off-the-field incidents have followed him to the Combine where NFL teams want to know the story. They can watch tape and see what he can do, see the 41 catches for seven touchdowns during his two seasons at Cal, see his 40 time and vertical leap. But what kind of guy is he? "I told them all the same thing," he said. "When I was at Cal, it was the turning point in my life. I almost lost everything." Joseph thought he had lost everything one day three years ago when then-Florida assistant coach Jon Hevesy showed up at Santa Fe High and told him his scholarship had disappeared. Long a Florida commitment, Joseph suddenly had to find a school. "Most of the schools who were recruiting me backed off once I committed to Florida," Joseph said. "We weren't talking to other schools either because it was a done deal. It really hurt me when he came to my school and told me they had what they wanted. "I felt so embarrassed. I felt bad but I really felt bad the next day when it hit the news. But I never gave up." Instead, he landed at East Carolina where Joseph discovered the wonderful world of all-you-can-eat buffets. He ballooned up to 380 pounds during his freshman year. "I felt terrible, I was always breathing hard, I was smelling bad," he said. And his back hurt from the burden of the belly. Joseph knew something had to change so he lost 70 pounds, had minor back surgery and started to dominate. And now he's here. "A dream come true," he said. For Boateng, too. "I set myself back a bit," he said. "But my best football is still to come." Two journeys, very different. One thing in common. They both went through Gainesville to get to Indianapolis. -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
