Charles Scott’s football career at LSU abruptly ended when he was helped off the field in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
After a year in the NFL, he’s back finishing things up in the classroom.
Scott sat out the final four games of his LSU career with a fractured clavicle, ending a brilliant run as a Tiger. Scott’s 2,317 rushing yards rank seventh in school history, and his 32 touchdowns put him at fourth all time.
For Scott, watching from the sidelines was a disappointing end to a remarkable career.
“I was mad at first,” Scott said. “The only thing I could do was try to continue to be a leader on the team and motivate my teammates to improve, so that’s what I did.”
Following the season, Scott continued to rehabilitate his shoulder and began training in Atlanta in preparation for the 2010 NFL Draft.
Scott’s name was called in the sixth round by the Philadelphia Eagles, a sigh of relief for the Saline native who wasn’t sure what his draft status was following the injury.
“I knew I was going to drop with the injury, and I wasn’t really concerned about where I went,” Scott said. “I just wanted a chance to be on a team, and I knew that once I got an opportunity to be on a team that I could show my true worth.”
If Scott’s first few months in the league proved anything, it was not to get comfortable.
On Aug. 30, after three preseason games with the Eagles, he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for cornerback Jorrick Calvin.
“Even though I got in and worked hard, I think the Eagles felt it wasn’t a good fit,” Scott said. “They made the decision that they needed a cornerback and that they could swap me for one.”
Just three days later on Sept. 3, the Cardinals waived Scott, only to place him on the practice squad the following day.
Finally, the New York Giants signed Scott to their practice squad on Sept. 6.
“It was like a roller coaster,” Scott said. “I go from the Northeast to Arizona, which was a world of difference, and then I go back up. Everything happens for a reason, and I think I’ve landed in a great spot in New York. I’m very comfortable, and they’re comfortable with me.”
Scott spent the season on the practice squad in New York. While the assignment isn’t as glamorous as the guys who dress out every Sunday, the work is all the same.
“It’s no different from the active guys,” Scott said. “Any practice, any game, some guy could go down. If a running back got hurt, I was the next guy in, so I had to know all of the plays just as well as they do.”
Look no further than Super Bowl XLV for the proof.
Packers running back Ryan Grant went down in week one with a season-ending ankle injury. The blow thrust unknowns John Kuhn and James Starks into action. They’ll be doing most of the work for Green Bay’s running game in two weeks at Cowboys Stadium.
“Anybody can become a key player on a team,” Scott said. “It’s all about who really wants to play. You see guys that they pay a lot of money to that don’t do as much as guys that they don’t.”
Scott’s absence on Sundays surprised many students that saw him tear through opposing defenses in the purple and gold.
“It’s not easy to make a roster. It’s the best of the best out there,” said Matt Glover, computer science junior. “Give him some more time. We saw the third-string quarterback for the Bears look like a star the other day. It all depends on how bad he wants it.”
The Giants failed to qualify for the playoffs, so the window opened for Scott to return to LSU to finish his degree in general studies with minors in business administration, sociology and communication studies.
It’s Scott’s first time back on campus since leaving last spring.
After receiving his diploma in May, Scott expects to return to New York in early August for training camp, barring any complications with the NFL collective bargaining agreement that could halt play in 2011.
 
—-
Contact Hunt Palmer at [email protected]