RENTON, Wash. – All the work leading up to the NFL draft was over. Free safety Mark LeGree, despite playing at Appalachian State, knew he would get a shot at playing in the pros after being taken in the fifth round by the Seattle Seahawks.
There was just the pesky lockout delaying the start of his professional career and blocking any money from coming into his wallet.
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“I had a little bit of money left over and I was waiting for the lockout to end but I was getting low on my funds,” LeGree said. “I was like ‘I have to find a job.’ “
So LeGree placed a phone call to Phil Washburn, co-owner of Capehart and Washburn, a general contracting firm in Boone, N.C. The previous summer, LeGree spent some of the time between his junior and senior seasons at Appalachian State working for the company, doing a variety of construction jobs.
But now he was bound for the NFL and the last person Washburn expected to hear from just a few weeks after the draft.
“He left me a message over the weekend, saying ‘You know about the lockout and I’m just laying around,’ ” Washburn recalled in a phone interview. “He was still doing his morning workouts every day, but I was happy to have him back.”
LeGree’s decision to spend some of the lockout doing manual labor speaks to the background of the 22-year-old free safety. He went to high school at Pacelli High School in Columbus, Ga., with just 28 kids in his graduating class. He only landed at Appalachian State by making a video of his high school accomplishments and sending it to the Mountaineers’ coaches.
GIANTS: Kicker Lawrence Tynes’ bruised right thigh is feeling much better, and there is a chance that he might be able to play against the Bears on Monday.
49ERS: Daunte Culpepper worked out for some 30 minutes in front of the San Francisco 49ers’ brass.
TITANS: Right tackle David Stewart has a sore left hamstring that could keep him out for a week, so the Titans signed veteran offensive tackle Adam Terry.
SAINTS: New Orleans released right tackle Jon Stinchcomb.
VIKINGS: Right guard Anthony Herrera was taken off the physically unable to perform list.
BILLS: The Bills ran out of time and patience in waiting for linebacker Aaron Maybin to develop before being left with little choice but to waive the former first-round pick.
BROWNS: Cleveland was awarded defensive back Brett Johnson off waivers.
DOLPHINS: Linebacker Marvin Mitchell signed with the Dolphins after spending the past four seasons with the Saints.
LIONS: Cornerback Eric Wright pulled himself out of practice twice with an injured right groin.
BRONCOS: Receiver Brandon Lloyd and rookie starting safety Rahim Moore got into a brief fight at training camp. Before the fight, defensive tackles Ty Warren (arm) and Marcus Thomas (chest) left practice with injuries, the severity of which were unknown.
MONDAY’S GAME
TEXANS 20, JETS 16: The Jets’ injury-plagued offensive line allowed four first-half sacks to Houston, including two of Mark Sanchez, as the dropoff between the first- and second-stringers was evident in Houston.
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