Out of college, Eddie Verrett thought he would go right into the NFL, and his future would be assured. Like the overwhelming vast majority of college players, it didn’t work out that way. He got looked at by a couple of teams and was a member of the Dallas Cowboys practice squad for a while, but the 6’3” 250 pound DE was eventually cut. He moved to Louisiana to stay with his mom and found work, but never really felt comfortable with his situation. Eddie decided he wanted to return to Virginia where he had attended high school. He had a girlfriend there, and they had a baby together so he decided that being in his daughters’ life was the best thing he could do for everyone including himself. After the move, he began working out to try to get another chance at the NFL which is when he got a call from the Atlanta Vultures. He’d never played arena ball before, but he knew what 
it was and decided to give it a shot, but once again, things didn’t go as planned.
AF Insider: Hi Eddie, thanks for speaking with me. If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak with you about your experience in arena football. I know it hasn’t always been good and I think your fans will be interested in your story.
EV: Yeah, no problem man, and thanks. I was in Norfolk working out, and I got a phone call from an AIF arena team called the Atlanta Vultures. I knew about arena football but had never played. I’m from Louisiana, so I knew about the Voodoo and the AFL. My first year in arena ball was with Atlanta, but it wasn’t a good operation. I didn’t get paid; we had no gym, no proper nourishment and on the first day of practice, we ran so much that I became shaky. We ran and ran for like three hours, just running, and I became dehydrated. We had no water, no trainers, no physicals, and they just ran us. It was crazy. We did it again on the second day, not quite as much, but we just ran and ran. On the third day, I got to the parking lot and began feeling like I was catching the flu or something. I was sitting in my car, and I wrapped myself up because I was feeling cold, but it was super-hot outside. I was dehydrated
It may seem counterintuitive, but dehydration can bring on chills. “This occurs because your body starts to limit blood flow to the skin. In addition, water holds heat, so if you become dehydrated it can be more difficult to regulate your body temperature, which can make you become chilled faster, even when you’re not in a cold environment.” Dr. Podesta, Health.com
AF Insider: Dehydration can be very dangerous. Korey Stringer, a player for the Vikings, died from extreme dehydration. What did you do?
EV: I called my agent, and he set up an appointment for me at Emory Hospital. I was diagnosed with dehydration and muscle exhaustion. Over those two days, I went from 250 down to 240. I was lucky I had family in the area to help me through that. When I returned to camp, the owner/player was an offensive lineman, and we were doing one on ones, not outside moves, just head to head and I kept pushing him back. I’d lost a lot of weight and strength, but I kept pushing him back. He was 300 lbs and I was down to 240 and that was embarrassing for him. A couple of days later, I got a call from the coach who said he loved me, but the owner didn’t really care for me. Unfortunately, a lot of things went under the table. They owed me money for the hospital bills, and I never saw a cent of it. Continue reading
My family… They started telling me you’ve got to go see what you can really do. That’s more, I just get choked up talking like that… 
AF Insider: Hi Derrick, thanks for agreeing to speak with me. So, I guess the first thing the fans want to know is if you’re going back to Jacksonville?
level is being upgraded everywhere.
Nelson, was doing some consultant work with the Richmond Roughriders. Nelson wasn’t with the Shock when they folded, he had departed several seasons earlier, but with his knowledge of arena football and the AFL, in particular, it seemed he would be an interesting interview. He wasn’t just a little interesting, he blew me away with his knowledge and insight into the league and why they’re struggling. On the heels of the Jeff Bouchy: State of Arena Football interview, Nelson is the perfect follow up. Thanks for reading.
AF Insider: Let’s talk about the NAL. 
the spring of the 2012 season in Cleveland, the AFL had to talk them off the ledge. They were infuriated and embarrassed and wanted to cease operations right then and there. 
AF Insider: Labor issues are a big part of the AFL’s difficulties. The current CBA was negotiated in 2012, what can you tell me about it?
labor uncertainty. Also, the AFL has a $1M+ expansion fee, and they offer no training in the operational aspects o
With all the controversy surrounding the Richmond Roughriders signing of former Carolina Panther/Dallas Cowboy DE Greg Hardy, I was granted the privilege of interviewing him. A local columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch Newspaper had said the signing of Hardy was not just a risk for the Roughriders, but a risk to all of Richmond. While Hardy does have a checkered past documented all the way back to his college days, it’s not like the guy is Charles Manson. He had both domestic violence and drug convictions against him, which were later expunged from his record as well as a ten game NFL suspension rescinded. Say what you will about the legal system, but Roger Goodell never backtracks on a suspension even when he knows he’s in the wrong. I’m not suggesting Hardy is innocent, on the other hand, he isn’t exactly King Kong on a rampage either. We spoke for about five minutes and below is the edited transcript. 
