Steelers tight end Saunders is thankful for opportunity

Saunders just finished his junior year at South Carolina and was being mentioned Pittsburgh Steelers Jerseys
in the same breath as Notre Dame's Kyle Rudolph as the best tight end in college football.
Over a span of 14 months, it was almost taken away from him time and time again starting with a trip with some friends to a party in Florida that kicked off a series of events.
Before his senior year about improper contact with an agent during a party in Miami, Saunders was investigated by the NCAA during the summer. After several meetings with NCAA officials, it was deemed that Saunders wasn't being truthful during the investigation that led to South Carolina removing him from the team.
At the NFL combine during a routine physical, Saunders was told that he had a broken foot that would require surgery and didn't participate. After a well-attended pro day in which 28 NFL teams were on hand, he went undrafted. Due to the NFL lockout, Saunders had to wait three months before he would sign with the Steelers (Pittsburgh Steelers Jerseys) as an undrafted rookie free agent.
Saunders said:"I felt like it was never going to end. It was almost to the point where it was funny. Like 'What's next?' I thought teams would understand, but it was just too many red flags."
The Steelers were intrigued by Saunders' story. Three weeks after attending his pro day, and a couple days before the draft, they had him in for a visit. "I really just gave my side of the story," Saunders said. "I came from a good home and feel that I come from a good background and I let them know that I did bad things, but that I wasn't a bad person."
Still, the Steelers waited to grab Saunders after the draft, putting him at a big disadvantage. Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey
Saunders impressed enough to make it to the final cut with veteran tight end John Gilmore. Knowing his past disappointments, Saunders feared the worst on cut-down day.
"I couldn't tell you how bad that day was," Saunders said. "But, finally, something went right for me."It is composed by pittsburghsteelersjerseyshopcom 09.23.2011



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