After hard lessons in college, CB Francies insists his past is history

Thomas George By Thomas George | NFL.com

Senior Columnist

INDIANAPOLIS -- Coye Francies joined the last batch of performers at the combine on Tuesday, the defensive backs. At 6-foot, 185 pounds, he was more wiry than most, a little more agile, a bit stronger. He tied for second among all cornerbacks with 24 bench press reps.

"I did OK," Francies said. "I could have done better. I enjoyed myself. The big thing: no injuries."

The on-field book on Francies: a cornerback and kick returner. Aggressive, tough, fluid hips, good ball skills. Solid awareness in coverage. Nice closing burst. Super open-field tackler.

NFL scouts say that he entered the combine a projected second- or third-round pick. After his 40-yard dash times of 4.56 and 4.62, they believe he could slide to the fourth or fifth round. His pro day workout at the San Jose State campus on March 20 is largely about his 40 time. If he scoots faster, he will once again ascend.

Francies has been forced to rise before.

Every player at the combine had a story to tell, a football tale mixed with woe and merriment, an account of family and for some, rebuilt reputations.

The Coye Francies story reaches a step or two beyond.

After two years of junior college football, he joined Oregon State. But he was dismissed from the team by OSU coach Mike Riley for gun charges in June 2007, even though those charges were later dropped. He transferred to San Jose State, sat out the 2007 season and played his senior year there.

Francies explained: "I was in a car with teammates returning from a bar and grill in Portland. We were pulled over on a traffic stop and there was a gun in the car."

Francies met with several NFL teams at the combine who demanded more explanation. This is what one executive from one of those teams told me: "We asked him why he had the gun and he told us that it was not his, that it belonged to his teammates in the car and he took ownership of it because he didn't want them to lose their scholarship. An incredible story that I am not sure anyone would buy. So you took the blame and lost your scholarship? Even with that, the kid did a nice job in the interview. And obviously, he paid the price for it all."

Riley called San Jose State coach Dick Tomey and gave Francies a strong endorsement despite the incident. Tomey met with Francies.

"He wrote up a contract," Francies said. "Coach Tomey had in there that I had to maintain a 2.7 grade point average. Miss no classes. Late to no practices. Late to no meetings. No altercations or any other incidents. Do that and I would have a scholarship the next semester. He wrote it all out. I signed it. When I transferred, I started out with nothing. My first two weeks on the campus, I lived in my car. I met a couple of players who let me move in with them. I had grants and financial aid to get through school. And I kept my end of the bargain. I kept my word. It all worked out. I was really blessed.

"I learned a lot of things: to value every moment, every opportunity. Be more appreciative of the Lord's blessings. Be really aware of your surroundings and the situations you put yourself in. Any situation can harm you and your loved ones. I realized how decisions you make not only harm you but also those that love you and those you love. My mom, that was the hardest thing. She was just hurt. She didn't say too much. That hurt me more than anything."

His mother, Beverly Richardson, and stepfather, Paris Richardson, his first coach, said they raised Coye to value education first. To respect others.

Reached by telephone on Tuesday at her home near Sacramento, Beverly Richardson said, "He was 19 when that happened, young, and made a mistake. We all make mistakes. As a mother, I made mistakes. Athletes are under the microscope. I told him to pray, move forward, put it behind him and learn from it, to understand the importance of making good choices. Sometimes you can correct mistakes. Sometimes you can't. He has had an opportunity to correct his. He has done that. He is doing that."

Donald Northcross created "The OK Program" in 1990 in Sacramento to help African-American children develop leadership and social skills. Northcross said he was stunned when Francies ran afoul. He was equally surprised to learn that teams at the combine asked Francies if he had ever been involved in gangs.

"Coye was in the program from the sixth to the 12th grades," Northcross said. "He volunteered to join; gang members don't volunteer to get into such programs. I am a retired sheriff's deputy. I have worked with thousands of kids. I know a bad young man, I know a good young man. He's a good one. I imagine that teams after they met him at the combine understood that."

Whatever happened in that car and whoever brought the gun, Francies paid a steep price. Among the 12 NFL teams that wanted to know more about this player at the combine were the Ravens, Raiders, Colts, Steelers, Seahawks and Browns. Some placed him at a board, popped in video of his 68-tackle, three-interception senior season and asked him to describe what he was doing on a particular play, the origins of the play and how could he have done his job better. Others asked more about his story. His football story.

By most accounts, he did OK.

"I'm very competitive, I'm striving to do better and I'm a very hard worker behind closed doors in the weight room," Francies said. "I had a negative situation occur, but I'm a good person who's 22 now, a lot wiser. I am someone who loves football and had it taken away before and knows what that means, someone who wants to get better every day as a football player and a man.

"Will I run a faster 40 at my pro day? Lord willing, yes. I think at the combine I showed them some of the best of both worlds I have at corner. I'm a larger corner who is strong but also quick like the little ones. I'm durable and I think I can add on another five pounds and play effectively with it. I think my future may hold a career in football. I am humble enough to realize that I am not sure if I will be drafted high, low or at all. The only thing I know about my future is that if I am blessed with a long life, I will be an excellent father to my daughter, Areyana, who is 2. Beyond that, I pray for an opportunity in the NFL. I'll make the best of it. I'll be OK."

http://www.nfl.com/combine/story?id=09000d...mp;confirm=true

@ballpeen said:

I don't see much need for mangini to get involved.

No, I was asking whether or not letting Quinn get popped was the players' way of handling it...kind of a joke (sort of)...ah, never mind.

Dennis

@riffer-x said:

I'm going out on a limb here and saying I bet he listens to gangsta rap.

he tweeted that he's into yodeling

@lumbergh said:

dude got kicked out of Oregon State for packin heat.

No doubt he ain't one of those dudes who takes too kindly to dissing, whether it's a joke or not.

I'm going out on a limb here and saying I bet he listens to gangsta rap.

@dencyguy said:

Dennis

What....talking to him??

I don't see much need for mangini to get involved.

dude got kicked out of Oregon State for packin heat.

@reginabrownsfan said:

Nope. Apathy is what it sounds like. How much can this be chalked up to a lack of cohesiveness and petty BS bickering?

@ballpeen said:

What if that was the players' version of handling it?

Dennis

I agree with a lot of you and thought this kid has some fire! Good!

And the idea of Shaun Rogers leading him off did give me a laugh.

I just really think this kid needs to be able to play more!

@alporcini said:

That doesn't sound good.

He was pissed over a rookie hazing. It looks like things have cooled down since then.

Browns rookie throws ice, punch

BEREA, Ohio -- After a spirited practice, the Cleveland Browns were still in a playful mood so they decided to pull a prank on one of their rookies.

Coye Francies didn't care for the joke.

The first-year cornerback, incensed over being soaked with water by some of his teammates, threw a bucket of ice and at least one errant punch during a skirmish in the Browns' locker room on Friday.

As the Browns returned from practice, a dripping-wet Francies stormed into the locker room lugging a Gatorade bucket full of ice. Before he could be stopped, Francies tossed the ice on cornerback Brandon McDonald, hitting him with cubes that covered the floor.

At that point, it was not clear if Francies was playing along and messing with McDonald.

Then, his mood, and the vibe in the room, turned more serious.

Francies flung some more ice in the direction of safety Mike Adams before heading toward safety Abram Elam's corner cubicle. With the bucket on the floor, Francies then swung his arms at Elam, who deflected the blows. Pro Bowl nose tackle Shaun Rogers then stepped in and grabbed Francies by the back of the shirt and escorted him out a side door as other players came to help.

"Calm down, man," Rogers told Francies as he pushed him outside.

"Welcome to the Browns locker room!" wide receiver Braylon Edwards hollered.

The incident happened while the locker room was open to reporters. The Browns (0-2) play at Baltimore on Sunday.

The Cleveland Browns are 0-2 and in desperate need of a victory this weekend. So why exactly are the Browns playing around?, James Walker asks. Blog

Francies returned a few minutes later and went straight to his stall at the back of the locker room, next to the equipment area. He still seemed irritated as he sat there. Rogers, linebackers D'Qwell Jackson and Eric Barton and safety Brodney Pool tried to calm him down.

At the other end, McDonald cleaned up the mess in front of his stall.

"It was just guys having fun," McDonald said, whisking the ice off the carpet into a dust pan with a broom. "I was the first one he saw. He got a little aggressive, it's no big deal. We handled it. It's over now and we're going to worry about the Ravens. We don't want to have any misconceptions in the locker room.

"So that's it. We took care of it, and we're moving on."

After dressing, Francies had cooled down enough to smile.

"It's all just fun and games," he said. "We were just playing around."

Later, a regretful Francies went to coach Eric Mangini's office to explain what happened and acknowledged he had overreacted.

Mangini wanted to do some further investigating and consulted with other players and team leaders to make sure there was no lingering conflict.

"I said, 'Was there anything malicious about this? Is there something deeper here?" Mangini said. "And to a man, they said, 'No it was nothing like that.' He's a rookie, he's young. He should have put it in the right context. I trust the guys I talked to. I talked to him afterward and he said, 'I should have handled it differently."

The Browns dropped their first two games with second-half collapses in both. But despite the slow start, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan senses that Cleveland's players are determined to turn their season around.

"I know our guys are ready to fight," he said. "They're starting to care for each other. We're coming together. I can see it."

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

This kinda worries me...is this a sign of frustration for whatever reason? Is this just a rookie over-reacting and his team mates sticking up for him or is there more to this?

Chickenwang said:

I doubt he does anything.....let the players handle it... usually the longest league vet acts as judge with a couple of associate justices...who would that be...Dawson???

The players handled it and will continue to handle it. I agree with a earlier comment...I think it was a good thing.....unlike last year when it didn't appear anybody stood up to stop BQ from getting popped in the kisser...even though that wasn't rookie hazing.

"Kids will be kids. And kids take their shoes off and run around with buckets of ice all the time."

Ya can't blame the players for wanting to know what it's like to douse someone with ice water. It's not like we win! They can't get the coach. Rookies the next best thing.

Channel that fire for Sunday! How great would it be to see a fight before kickoff!?!? Remember when that $hIt use to happen! Big balls baby!!! Signs of life! Im digging it!!!

I'm I the only one that sees what a cancer he is???

@jadbf said:

So a rookie over reacted to a prank played on him. bad timing that it happened when the media was there. But it's not a big deal at all.

I have to say the first story put a pretty funny picture in my brain.

"Francies then swung at Elam before Pro Bowl nose tackle Shaun Rogers grabbed him by the back of the shirt and escorted him out a side door."

Am I the only one that pictures a little guy hanging by his shirt arms and legs swinging "Lemme at him!" while the hulking Rogers carries him out the door by his collar?

Thats the first thing i thought of also. A little dude compared to Rodgers.

AdaM said:

Hell, haze everyone at halftime, also........just to make sure.

As the team returned from practice Friday, a soaking-wet Francies, apparently the target of some hazing, stormed into the locker room carrying a water bucket full of ice. Before he could be stopped, Francies tossed the ice on cornerback Brandon McDonald, hitting him with cubes and covering the floor.

Francies flung some ice in the direction of safety Mike Adams before heading toward safety Abram Elam's corner cubicle. Francies then swung at Elam before Pro Bowl nose tackle Shaun Rogers grabbed him by the back of the shirt and escorted him out a side door.

"Welcome to the Browns locker room!" wide receiver Braylon Edwards hollered as players rushed over to check on the commotion.

The incident happened while the locker room was open to reporters. The Browns (0-2) play at Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

"Calm down, man," Rogers told Francies as he pushed him outside.

Later, when Francies returned to the locker room, still apparently upset, a team equipment aide diverted him into a side equipment room to give him more time to calm down, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. When he returned, linebackers D'Qwell Jackson and Eric Barton and defensive back Brodney Pool visited him at his locker.

Francies later said the incident was not serious.

"We were just playing around, having some fun and games, know what I'm saying?'' Francies told reporters. "That's pretty much it. It was all fun and games.''

Asked if he was sticking to that story, he replied "Absolutely,'' with a smile, according to The Plain Dealer of Cleveland.

McDonald also said the fracas was the result of fun and games that got out of hand.

"We were just having a little fun with some of the young guys,'' McDonald said, according to The Plain Dealer. "It was all in good fun, but [Francies] got a little aggressive. [Rogers] made sure it didn't get out of hand. We took care of it and we're moving on.''

The Browns dropped their first two games with second-half collapses in both. But despite the slow start, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan senses that Cleveland's players are determined to turn their season around.

"I know our guys are ready to fight," he said. "They're starting to care for each other. We're coming together. I can see it."