Former two-sport star works out for scouts

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Posted 7:03PM on Friday, July 1, 2005

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Former two-sport sensation Roscoe Crosby cut short his workout Friday for NFL scouts when cramping in the hot midday sun and concerns about his right leg kept him from catching passes. Crosby, 22, was a former Kansas City Royals draft pick and star recruit as a Clemson receiver. But injuries and various circumstances kept Crosby from fulfilling the enormous goals set upon him as a senior star from Union High School four years ago. After an arbitration case with the Royals for the remainder of Crosby's $1.75 million contract went against him in February, Crosby turned his attention full time to football. And after the 6-foot-2, 218 pound receiver turned in 40-yard dash times in the sub 4.4-second range, NFL teams were interested. There were 17 scouts gathered Friday, first at a local gym, Total Fitness 4 You, and then at nearby Spring Valley High School. Crosby hopes he'll get selected in the NFL's upcoming supplemental draft July 14. If not, Crosby says he's certain he'll get a chance as an NFL free agent. After Crosby's weight workouts one scout confirmed that Crosby lifted 225 pounds 18 times the group shifted to the field for outdoor workouts. Crosby ran a pair of 40-yard sprints. While no one would talk about the times, a scout from the Carolina Panthers said the first was in the mid 4.4s and the other in the high 4.4s. However, after Crosby caught a couple of passes from former NFL quarterback Shaun King (he was Tulane's quarterback for then coach Tommy Bowden, who signed Crosby for the Tigers), Crosby went off to the side as trainers stretched out his legs. Soon after, one of Crosby's agents, Kevin Parker, gathered scouts to let them know that Crosby's workout was done. ``It was disappointing, especially when I got out to the field because I thought I was rolling with all the drills and stuff like that,'' Crosby said. ``Then the heat got me going. ... I really didn't want to risk it. It can lead to other injuries like a knee injury. So I called the doctor over.'' Crosby's trainer, Ewell Gordon, said Crosby's times were better than when he worked out at Clemson during its pro timing day before April's NFL draft, but not as good as a workout last month. Still, ``we see things going forward,'' Gordon said. It has been a difficult road for Crosby since the Royals selected him in the Major League Draft in June 2001. Injuries slowed his baseball and, the following fall, football progress (Crosby even injured his nose in a Clemson postgame celebration). Still, he set Tiger freshman records with 27 catches and 465 yards. In 2002, three of Crosby's friends died in a car accident coming to see him play minor league ball. The same year, Crosby had reconstructive surgery on his elbow. He received a medical waiver to return to Clemson for the 2003 season, but lasted only a game and left school. King said Crosby's on-field strength are his precise routes, something the scouts didn't view up close. Crosby says there's plenty of action film of his game for NFL teams to watch. ``Who knows?'' Crosby said. ``You never know how it goes with those guys.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)