Duane Sampson
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Campbell intent on erasing his past
Run-ins with law cut NFL career shortVicki Hall, The Edmonton JournalPublished: Thursday, May 29
EDMONTON - Kelly Campbell promises not to fumble his latest, and perhaps final, chance at football salvation.
The former Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver has caught on with the Edmonton Eskimos, although the CFL club has yet to formally announce his signing.
The 28-year-old has speed to burn, and he's determined to outrun the drug-laden controversy that has put his NFL career on permanent hold.
"I'm a better man, I can tell you that," Campbell said Wednesday after passing his medical with the Eskimos. "I'm making better decisions about my surroundings and who I surround myself with.
"I have a little girl now I have to think about. She's three years old, and she's beautiful."
Campbell met with head coach Danny Maciocia upon touching down in Edmonton and promised to repay him for looking past the past.
"I told him that on my last day here, he's going to be proud of me," Campbell said. "I'm coming here to make things happen."
The five-foot-11, 175-pounder made things happen at Georgia Tech. Some experts pegged the soft-handed receiver and dangerous kick returner as a first or second-round pick in the 2003 draft -- until he failed a drug test at the NFL combine.
Regardless, the Minnesota Vikings rolled the dice and signed Campbell as an undrafted free agent. He repaid the Vikings for that gamble by catching 25 passes for 522 yards and four touchdowns in his sophomore season.
His quarterback was Daunte Culpepper. He played alongside receiver Randy Moss. He lived a life of fast cars, beautiful women and bulging bank accounts.
But the glory came crashing down in March 2005 when police charged Campbell with weapons and drug possession in Atlanta. The Vikings wanted no part of it and sent him on his way.
"My off-field issues really didn't have a lot to do with me," he said. "I was still trying to hang with the guys -- guys who really didn't have your best interests at heart. And you call those people your friends."
His journey took him to Miami, where the Dolphins offered another "second chance." He played one game in 2006, only to suffer a season-ending leg injury.
The following year, the Dolphins released Campbell two days after another arrest for possession of marijuana and ecstasy.
"There's a lot of temptation," he said. "You have a lot of things thrown at you. You have a lot of females thrown at you. So when you're in the limelight, you have so much stuff to get into -- good or bad. You just have to be a good person, and I was brought up by a good parent. My mom is a minister."
The Eskimos see Campbell as a potential deep threat for quarterback Ricky Ray and an explosive weapon on special teams. They have watched his game tape from Minnesota, so they know what he's capable of.
"He is a very, very explosive player in terms of speed and quickness," said offensive co-ordinator Rick Worman. "He's an exciting guy after he gets the ball in his hands. With the wider field up here, he has a lot of potential in terms of excitement.
"But we need to see him on the field. These are the things we've seen from two or three years ago, and he's had some time off. We've got to see. Is he the same guy? Or has he changed? Let's see what they can do on the football field instead of talking about what they did in the past."
Campbell is more than happy to let bygones be bygones. He joked around with the coaches and athletic therapists Wednesday during the tedious grind of medicals. And he certainly knows how to smile.
The question remains whether the Eskimos will still be smiling over the newcomer in the weeks and months to come.
"Man, I'm ready," he said. "I feel guys have trouble with me on the smaller field, so I know the bigger field is going to bring me justice."
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