Nice Story about Texans WR DeVier Posey (1 Viewer)

[cstu]

This article is four years old, but it shows a different side to the guy who most know for getting suspended 10 games for getting 'over-paid' at his job.

Underdog thriving after uncertain startBy Tim MayThe Columbus Dispatch Monday February 18, 2008 12:02 AMBruce CrippenFor The DispatchJulie Posey has seen son DeVier shine on the field and in the classroom at Cincinnati LaSalle High School.Julie Posey wanted to make sure she heard the question correctly.Her youngest son, DeVier Posey, a blue-chip receiver recruit for Ohio State, was in repose a few feet away recovering from surgery on his right shoulder a couple of weeks ago. She'd been asked whether that gave her second thoughts about him playing football, with all the hitting that goes on.Julie laughed."You're talking to the mother of a kid who was born missing part of his immune system," she said from their condo in Cincinnati. "So am I sitting here worried because the orthopedic surgeon went into his shoulder, cleaned it up and tightened it up a bit? That's nothing."I almost lost this kid three times before he was a year old."She gave birth to him in California. As an infant, he kept getting sick, especially with ear infections. That was unusual, she said, for a child who was being breast fed. Antibiotics didn't seem to help."I kept thinking, 'This is really weird,' and I had just enough information about the immune system to be dangerous," Julie said.Seeking answers, she finally gained an audience with an immunologist. The ensuing examination revealed DeVier was missing the parts of the immune system that cover the head and much of the bronchial system.The immediate treatment was an intravenous dose of gamma globulin every three weeks. In essence, that provided him with an immune system, she said, until just past the age of 3 when his body finally developed its own.By comparison, the hard-knocks life of football pales, she said. In fact, it came along just in time for a youngster who went from hanging on by a thread to being hyperactive."He has always been very physical, and the first time he played football at 5 years old, he fell in love with the sport," Julie Posey said. "He'd run around the house, 'Yeah! We're gonna hit somebody.' His older brother Julian (now a cornerback at Ohio University) really helped him learn."But with DeVier being so active, it was my brother who told me, 'Look, if you want this kid to be successful in school, you better let him play football.' "Talk about a tip that paid dividends. Julie watched DeVier grow up to excel not only on the field but also in the classroom at Cincinnati LaSalle High School."This kid has missed being on honors at a private high school just one quarter so far in his entire high school career," she said. "And I've never been called to the office there for any problem."Maybe it was the struggle at the start of life that lit the fire, but DeVier Posey said he has never been satisfied with status quo. For instance, he saw the U.S. Army All-American game back in January as a chance to measure himself against like talent."Remember in the movie 300?" he said. "When that guy was peeking over the mountain, and he said, 'I've only got so many battles. I hope somebody over there can kill me.' That's how I felt. I wanted to go against the best. I wanted to have the feeling of 'I can't win,' so then I would have to find a way to beat the guy."I've always felt like I was on the bottom and always had to fight. And then when I made it to the top, I was looking for a new challenge. I was looking forward to being around those great players at the All-American game, who could do a lot of the things I could do. That was fun, because it means you have to elevate your game, you have to do things you haven't done before. You have to keep getting better."That attitude came from his mother."She always said you've got to work hard for what you want, and if somebody gives it to you, it's not worth it, so you might as well not even put it in your pocket," DeVier said.He has put in the work, Julie said. During the summer, when his friends wanted to go to the park or just hang out, "he was out there behind our condo, running up and down that hill, trying to get stronger, trying to get faster," she said.As DeVier explained, "In football or any other sport, the difference between being good and being great is very small. I understand that small difference can be something you do that the other person doesn't do, and I've always tried to do that."Julie Posey said she used to marvel at the way her son progressed, and the honors, accolades and finally the scholarship offers he received before he settled on Ohio State. Then she realized, "This is who he is. This is his path."What I do know is God has been good to DeVier Posey. He has come a mighty long way."

 

[TheFanatic]

I'll be fielding offers in HA1 for him!

 

[loqutis]

He is one of the buckeye players responsible for destroying the program. He can kiss my asa

 

[cstu]

He is one of the buckeye players responsible for destroying the program. He can kiss my asa

The Buckeyes just got caught. Stuff like that is common as every school. I knew about improper payments to players when I was at Iowa State of all places. There was even a top player in this draft (can't remember who) who slipped and said that money wasn't the reason he was going pro since he already had enough.

 

[rizzler]

LOL @ anyone getting their panties in a bunch over college players taking money.

you would and I would.

it's part of the system. part of the game. part of the american dream.

as long as you keep your mouth shut about it, all is well.

FFS, during the draft when they were "visiting" picks' at their houses, doing interviews, they already had lavish lifestyles, nice cars, monster rims etc etc.

Now, Im not sure where these guys find the time for jobs while attending uni, practice and games... but perhaps I need to move down to the states, cuz it seems like your minimum wage is about $150.00 an hour.

 

[fridayfrenzy]

FFS, during the draft when they were "visiting" picks' at their houses, doing interviews, they already had lavish lifestyles, nice cars, monster rims etc etc.

Pretty sure these guys can get loans right after they declare. Oh you're gonna make millions in a couple of months...sure here is a loan at 20%.

 

[GregR]

He's said he sold the stuff for money to keep his mother's electricity from being turned off.

I really have no clue if that is true, or if he's making a good sounding excuse. If it's true... I'd probably have done the same in a situation like that.

Either way, can't do much but wait and see since I have no way of knowing the truth. Will see how he behaves over time as a pro.

 

[rizzler]

FFS, during the draft when they were "visiting" picks' at their houses, doing interviews, they already had lavish lifestyles, nice cars, monster rims etc etc.

Pretty sure these guys can get loans right after they declare. Oh you're gonna make millions in a couple of months...sure here is a loan at 20%.

That's another story...

 

[Buckna]

LOL @ anyone getting their panties in a bunch over college players taking money.

you would and I would.

it's part of the system. part of the game. part of the american dream.

as long as you keep your mouth shut about it, all is well.

FFS, during the draft when they were "visiting" picks' at their houses, doing interviews, they already had lavish lifestyles, nice cars, monster rims etc etc.

Now, Im not sure where these guys find the time for jobs while attending uni, practice and games... but perhaps I need to move down to the states, cuz it seems like your minimum wage is about $150.00 an hour.

Pretty common IMO. One story that always stuck with me was a friend who met Vince Young outside a club in Houston and Vince got into his brand new Mercedes to drive off. This was while he was still at UT. But it was all okay because it was his "parents" car.