Dismissed tight end practices for NFL scouts
Weslye Saunders was kicked off the South Carolina football team, but the tight end said there was no fear in returning to Columbia to participate in the school’s pro day.
“I wasn’t nervous at all because it’s always been a family atmosphere,” said Saunders on Wednesday in his first comments to local media since being dismissed from the program in September. “It’s kind of like when you mess up at home; you’re disciplined, but you’re not scared to go back home. Home is where the heart is, and this is where my heart was.”
The Durham, N.C., native’s tumultuous career at Carolina included two suspensions and an integral role in a still-ongoing NCAA investigation into the program before his removal. But, he said, he holds no ill will toward coach Steve Spurrier or athletic director Eric Hyman.
“At the end of the day, everything I did was my own fault,” Saunders said.
The dismissal came three weeks into Saunders’s indefinite suspension for being untruthful about arriving late to practice. Saunders told Spurrier he was tardy due to a meeting with NCAA investigators, which was untrue.
Saunders was questioned by the NCAA this summer in regard to an investigation on sports agent activity centering on his friend, then-North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin.
As an offshoot, the NCAA became aware of Saunders and nine other USC players staying in the Shandon-area Whitney Hotel at reduced rates, as well as other possible impermissible compliance issues. USC received an official Letter of Inquiry in September prior to Saunders’ dismissal from the team regarding potential violations, but the findings of the investigation have not yet been announced.
The NCAA eventually suspended Saunders for the entire 2010 season. At last month’s NFL Combine, Saunders admitted to reporters he lied to the NCAA in an attempt to protect Austin. Saunders said Wednesday the NCAA has not contacted him recently.
“Be truthful in whatever you do, and let the chips fall where they may,” said Saunders of what the experience has taught him. “Fabricating a story or not even telling the whole truth is just the same as telling a lie. A man is only as good as his word.”
As he begins a professional career, Saunders said he must work at convincing NFL teams “that I have good character; that I’m not a character.”
“It’s all about action,” Saunders said. “How I carry myself from this point on. How I handle situations on and off the field.”
Saunders was initially ruled ineligible for the NFL Draft before regaining eligibility on appeal. He then suffered a fracture in his right foot while training in January. Saunders aggravated the injury at the combine but decided to participate in USC’s pro day.
“I definitely felt it, but I don’t believe that it hurt me too bad, being that the scouts knew my condition already,” Saunders said. “I think I gained a few brownie points coming out here on a broken foot and doing everything I could today.”
The injury, a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his left foot, will require surgery. Saunders said USC team physician Dr. Jeffrey Guy will perform the procedure Friday.
Throughout the ordeals, Saunders said he relied on his faith and something Spurrier once told him.
“I couldn’t control any of the other stuff that was going on,” said Saunders of Spurrier’s message. “But I continued to train, to do what I had to do to prepare for this moment.”
Saunders thanked Spurrier and Hyman for allowing him to participate in pro day, acknowledging they had “every right” to deny him the privilege. He asked fans to not remember him for his last days as a Gamecock but for what he did prior to his aborted senior season. Saunders said he is remorseful for what happened and hopeful to move on.
“I do regret a lot of things, but I can’t dwell in the past,” he said.