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By JENNA LAINE
SportsFanLive.com Reporter
Posted on August 1, 2010 at 11:50 p.m. ET
Tony Washington waited eagerly for three days to hear his name called from Radio City, but according to his agent Vann McElroy, he never even got a phone call. In the weeks after the NFL Draft, teams scrambled to fill their rosters with undrafted free agents. But Washington -- a Division II All-American offensive tackle from Abilene Christian whose status as a registered sex offender was reported six weeks before the draft -- wasn’t one of them.
Then the Dallas Vigilantes of the Arena Football League stepped in to offer a chance to Washington, whom some NFL scouts had touted as being worthy of a second-round pick.
It was a risky move for two reasons. It was already more than a quarter of the way through the season, and the Vigilantes, content with their offensive line, were signing Washington, a true offensive tackle listed at 6-7 and 310 pounds, to play defense. And there was the potential backlash, from fans and teammates, because of Washington’s back story.
“This is not something that any of us would ever take lightly,” Vigilantes General Manager Gene Nudo said. “None of us would potentially put somebody in harm’s way because of it.”
As SportsFanLive first reported, public records show that in 2003 Washington was convicted of Prohibited Sexual Conduct, defined by law as having sex with a blood relative. He was 16 at the time in his hometown of New Orleans. According to multiple sources, including Washington’s college coaches and NFL scouts, the act was consentual, and the blood relative was Washington’s 15-year-old biological sister. He served five years probation.
Then-Vigilantes coach Rich Ingold first contacted McElroy about Washington before Nudo was named general manager on May 12. Nudo stood by the decision to pursue Washington, citing an “outstanding recommendation” from Abilene Christian coach Chris Thomsen.
“I’m a firm believer that, as egregious as a mistake may be in life, we should be given an opportunity,” Nudo said.
The signing of Washington, who declined to be interviewed for this story, hasn’t created any tension in the locker room, according to interim head coach James Fuller.
Some members of the team knew about Washington’s past from reading online reports and asked Fuller about it at the time of the signing. Fuller said Washington’s new teammates have welcomed him. Two who are aware of Washington's background declined to comment for this story out of respect for his privacy.
But Washington’s former college teammate, Trevis Turner, was willing to speak on his behalf.
“He’s actually been a brother to me,” said Turner, who played on the offensive line with Washington for one season at Trinity Valley Community College and two at Abilene Christian. “The stuff that they’ve said about him on the Internet –- I didn’t take too lightly to that. He’s a close friend.”
Turner said he first found out about his teammate’s troubled history in 2008 during a midseason game against West Texas A&M.
“I heard the defensive end that was on him, in between plays, blurting all this stuff out about ‘child molester’ and all this other stuff,” Turner said.
After that game, Turner and Washington had a conversation about Tony’s past.
“When I did find that out, I had to ask myself, ‘As his friend, and being as close to him as I’ve been, do I want to be his friend still or not?’” Turner said.
“I just think it was something that was mishandled. I just really think that what’s on paper and what’s on the Internet is blown way out of proportion than what it really is.”
Turner stuck by his friend’s side, continues a close friendship with Washington and has driven to Dallas to watch him play.
“He’s always had my back no matter what,” Turner said. “I’ve always had his back no matter what. I’m not going to change the way I look at him. I learned a lot of things from him and I’m grateful for that. I thank God for that, that he did put a person like that in my life. The way I needed him, he needed me.”
According to Fuller, Washington’s presence hasn’t caused problems for the Vigilantes.
“You would never know when he comes into the locker room,” Fuller said. “You would never know that any of that stuff had happened to him or that he went through all that. He’s trying to move forward with his life and that’s kind of how we’re looking at it. He’s been good to us. As long as he’s good to us and he does everything right, we’ll be good to him.”
It’s an opportunity Fuller says his young athlete is grateful for, despite the initial disappointment of going undrafted.
“He thanks me every day,” said Fuller, who feels Washington’s greatest asset is his relentless desire for improvement. “He’s called me three or four times this week. He wants to know his role. He wants to know what he’s doing right, what he’s doing wrong, if I’m OK with everything.
“I always believe you deserve another shot, that you deserve another chance. And him getting a chance to go to the NFL or any other job out there will tell us a lot about him –- what is he going to do with his chance. He’s been nothing but a gentleman since he got here.”
Nudo also talked about Washington’s maturity and mentioned how his wife and children attended a recent Vigilantes game. Washington is 24 now and has had no run-ins with the law since his conviction, Thomsen said. Additionally, he spent two years at Abilene Christian, a university that has mandatory daily chapel sessions as part of its curriculum.
Playing to Washington’s strength, the Vigilantes switched him back to offense and started him at guard against Tulsa in June.
“In his first day of practice, I watched him against one of the premiere defensive linemen in our league, and he just grabbed him and locked him out,” said Nudo, whose involvement with the AFL as both a head coach and executive dates back to 1987. “And this was against a good football player, a 31-32-year-old mature man who’s been playing football at the professional level for the last eight or nine years.”
When asked if his young talent had the ability to play in the NFL, Nudo responded, “Absolutely! In football, we have an old saying: ‘If he can fill the door up …’ Well, he fills the door up pretty good. He’s athletic and lean at his height and weight. He’s got long arms. He’s a tremendously talented athlete.”
Not that there were ever doubts about Washington’s ability. It garnered him top performance honors in multiple events at the NFL Combine, the Lone Star South Division Offensive Player of the Year Award two years in a row, and he was also a 2009 finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award (best Division II lineman, offensive or defensive).
“He’s a guy that needs to be playing on Sunday,” said Fuller, who marveled at Washington’s rare combination of size and quickness –- qualities that have characterized legendary offensive tackles.
Turner agrees, and hopes that Washington’s future teammates, and whatever NFL team is willing to give him a chance, will look beyond his past and see his capabilities.
“I would hope that they are grown enough to not act like all these callous people,” said Turner, who alluded to the childish behavior that often exists in college locker rooms. “I would hope they would be more mature about that. ‘Hey if you don’t want to hang out with the guy, don’t hang out with the guy. Just play football.’”
The Vigilantes just finished their season, and their staff wonders if Washington might get a late invitation to an NFL training camp.
“I’m hoping that he continues doing what he’s doing, that he’s with us for a short period of time, and that he proves to the other people out there that he needs to be on a different level,” Nudo said.
SportsFanLive.com Reporter
Posted on August 1, 2010 at 11:50 p.m. ET
Tony Washington waited eagerly for three days to hear his name called from Radio City, but according to his agent Vann McElroy, he never even got a phone call. In the weeks after the NFL Draft, teams scrambled to fill their rosters with undrafted free agents. But Washington -- a Division II All-American offensive tackle from Abilene Christian whose status as a registered sex offender was reported six weeks before the draft -- wasn’t one of them.
Then the Dallas Vigilantes of the Arena Football League stepped in to offer a chance to Washington, whom some NFL scouts had touted as being worthy of a second-round pick.
It was a risky move for two reasons. It was already more than a quarter of the way through the season, and the Vigilantes, content with their offensive line, were signing Washington, a true offensive tackle listed at 6-7 and 310 pounds, to play defense. And there was the potential backlash, from fans and teammates, because of Washington’s back story.
“This is not something that any of us would ever take lightly,” Vigilantes General Manager Gene Nudo said. “None of us would potentially put somebody in harm’s way because of it.”
As SportsFanLive first reported, public records show that in 2003 Washington was convicted of Prohibited Sexual Conduct, defined by law as having sex with a blood relative. He was 16 at the time in his hometown of New Orleans. According to multiple sources, including Washington’s college coaches and NFL scouts, the act was consentual, and the blood relative was Washington’s 15-year-old biological sister. He served five years probation.
Then-Vigilantes coach Rich Ingold first contacted McElroy about Washington before Nudo was named general manager on May 12. Nudo stood by the decision to pursue Washington, citing an “outstanding recommendation” from Abilene Christian coach Chris Thomsen.
“I’m a firm believer that, as egregious as a mistake may be in life, we should be given an opportunity,” Nudo said.
The signing of Washington, who declined to be interviewed for this story, hasn’t created any tension in the locker room, according to interim head coach James Fuller.
Some members of the team knew about Washington’s past from reading online reports and asked Fuller about it at the time of the signing. Fuller said Washington’s new teammates have welcomed him. Two who are aware of Washington's background declined to comment for this story out of respect for his privacy.
But Washington’s former college teammate, Trevis Turner, was willing to speak on his behalf.
“He’s actually been a brother to me,” said Turner, who played on the offensive line with Washington for one season at Trinity Valley Community College and two at Abilene Christian. “The stuff that they’ve said about him on the Internet –- I didn’t take too lightly to that. He’s a close friend.”
Turner said he first found out about his teammate’s troubled history in 2008 during a midseason game against West Texas A&M.
“I heard the defensive end that was on him, in between plays, blurting all this stuff out about ‘child molester’ and all this other stuff,” Turner said.
After that game, Turner and Washington had a conversation about Tony’s past.
“When I did find that out, I had to ask myself, ‘As his friend, and being as close to him as I’ve been, do I want to be his friend still or not?’” Turner said.
“I just think it was something that was mishandled. I just really think that what’s on paper and what’s on the Internet is blown way out of proportion than what it really is.”
Turner stuck by his friend’s side, continues a close friendship with Washington and has driven to Dallas to watch him play.
“He’s always had my back no matter what,” Turner said. “I’ve always had his back no matter what. I’m not going to change the way I look at him. I learned a lot of things from him and I’m grateful for that. I thank God for that, that he did put a person like that in my life. The way I needed him, he needed me.”
According to Fuller, Washington’s presence hasn’t caused problems for the Vigilantes.
“You would never know when he comes into the locker room,” Fuller said. “You would never know that any of that stuff had happened to him or that he went through all that. He’s trying to move forward with his life and that’s kind of how we’re looking at it. He’s been good to us. As long as he’s good to us and he does everything right, we’ll be good to him.”
It’s an opportunity Fuller says his young athlete is grateful for, despite the initial disappointment of going undrafted.
“He thanks me every day,” said Fuller, who feels Washington’s greatest asset is his relentless desire for improvement. “He’s called me three or four times this week. He wants to know his role. He wants to know what he’s doing right, what he’s doing wrong, if I’m OK with everything.
“I always believe you deserve another shot, that you deserve another chance. And him getting a chance to go to the NFL or any other job out there will tell us a lot about him –- what is he going to do with his chance. He’s been nothing but a gentleman since he got here.”
Nudo also talked about Washington’s maturity and mentioned how his wife and children attended a recent Vigilantes game. Washington is 24 now and has had no run-ins with the law since his conviction, Thomsen said. Additionally, he spent two years at Abilene Christian, a university that has mandatory daily chapel sessions as part of its curriculum.
Playing to Washington’s strength, the Vigilantes switched him back to offense and started him at guard against Tulsa in June.
“In his first day of practice, I watched him against one of the premiere defensive linemen in our league, and he just grabbed him and locked him out,” said Nudo, whose involvement with the AFL as both a head coach and executive dates back to 1987. “And this was against a good football player, a 31-32-year-old mature man who’s been playing football at the professional level for the last eight or nine years.”
When asked if his young talent had the ability to play in the NFL, Nudo responded, “Absolutely! In football, we have an old saying: ‘If he can fill the door up …’ Well, he fills the door up pretty good. He’s athletic and lean at his height and weight. He’s got long arms. He’s a tremendously talented athlete.”
Not that there were ever doubts about Washington’s ability. It garnered him top performance honors in multiple events at the NFL Combine, the Lone Star South Division Offensive Player of the Year Award two years in a row, and he was also a 2009 finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award (best Division II lineman, offensive or defensive).
“He’s a guy that needs to be playing on Sunday,” said Fuller, who marveled at Washington’s rare combination of size and quickness –- qualities that have characterized legendary offensive tackles.
Turner agrees, and hopes that Washington’s future teammates, and whatever NFL team is willing to give him a chance, will look beyond his past and see his capabilities.
“I would hope that they are grown enough to not act like all these callous people,” said Turner, who alluded to the childish behavior that often exists in college locker rooms. “I would hope they would be more mature about that. ‘Hey if you don’t want to hang out with the guy, don’t hang out with the guy. Just play football.’”
The Vigilantes just finished their season, and their staff wonders if Washington might get a late invitation to an NFL training camp.
“I’m hoping that he continues doing what he’s doing, that he’s with us for a short period of time, and that he proves to the other people out there that he needs to be on a different level,” Nudo said.
