Re: "It's an ugly business" Looks like CBJ is making friend
"East Bay High School defensive end Marques Ford was going about his day Jan. 20 when he received a phone call around 6 p.m. from the University of Tennessee's defensive line coach, Steve Stripling.
Ford, a four-star recruit and Under Armour All-American, had committed in July to play football for the Volunteers, picking them over the 40 other Division I-A offers received.
Stripling called that day, though, to inform Ford he would no longer be going to Tennessee. His spot had been taken, Ford said Stripling told him, so they had to let him go. Ford sat, stunned, on the other end of the phone.
"I didn't know how to take it. I was kind of silent at first," Ford said. "I was upset. I was committed to them for six months."
"Ford might not have known how to respond to Stripling's news, but East Bay coach Frank LaRosa wasn't so unsure. He was angry.
As far as the four-year head coach was concerned, Ford was the total package. He racked up 175 tackles and 17 sacks while at East Bay, and his 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame made him a force on the football field. His success also carries over into the classroom, where Ford boasts a 4.3 weighted grade-point average."
op:
http://www.tampabay.com/hometeam/blog/p ... -re/22015/