Former Bearcat Walter Stewart keeps pro hopes alive
NFL Insider
Feb 16, 2013
Walter Stewart Combine Workout: Former UC standout Walter Stewart, who thought his football career was over last October, will participate in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Written by
Joe Reedy
For those scouts who made a list back in September of those they expected to see at next week’s NFL Scouting Combine, UC defensive end Walter Stewart was on it. When he received word Jan. 25 that he was one of the final players to receive an invite, it was another peak in what has been a four-month roller coaster.
After suffering a neck injury in the Bearcats’ Oct. 13 game against Fordham and then seeing his college career end when doctors discovered a congenital abnormality in his spine, Stewart’s football career was in limbo. Scouts and agents thought his career was over, but Stewart and his family sought more medical opinions.
After a wide variety of opinions – some agreeing with UC that Stewart shouldn’t play football again because had been born without the posterior arch of his C1 vertebra, others saying it wouldn’t keep him from having an NFL career – Stewart was cleared to resume working out in December. He has spent the past three months at Ignition APG in Mason and will head to Indianapolis on Friday.
“Now that I got an invite to the combine it allows teams to see me and gives me a better understanding of whether I should keep going and it speeds up the whole process of finding work if it is playing football or not,” Stewart said after completing a mock combine-style workout last Thursday. “I’m just excited to be in that whole atmosphere.”
Stewart is one of four players from UC who will be participating in the Combine, which starts Wednesday. The other three are tight end Travis Kelce, running back George Winn and wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins. While all four have unique stories on how they got to the Combine, Stewart’s has been the rockiest of all.
‘You want to end it on your terms’
Stewart’s foster father, Keith Fields, knew there was something wrong after the fourth play of UC’s Oct. 13 game against Fordham.
Stewart dropped back into coverage and tried to make a play on the completion to Brian Wetzel, but as he tried to make the tackle he suffered a neck injury. Stewart ended up playing 33 more snaps.
A couple of weeks later, Stewart told teammates his career was over because of the spinal abnormality. Fields said UC’s team doctors recommended immediate surgery, which has confused other specialists who have looked at his case. Had it been a normal neck injury, Stewart likely would have been back by UC’s 10th game.
Since the original diagnosis, Stewart and Fields consulted with different doctors, including two for NFL teams. One raised the issue as a red flag and would recommend against drafting him, while the other said he wouldn’t rule Stewart out.
Walter Stewart works out during the Bearcats' first practice last March. / Enquirer file photo
While Fields said the past four months for him have been a roller coaster, the thing that has impressed him the most is how Stewart has handled it.
“While the road has been up and down more for me, for Walter the entire time it has been straight,” Fields said. “It has absolutely amazed me how he has handled it. His whole mindset has been about letting things play itself out.”
Stewart said he did think about his career being over and taking up former UC coach Butch Jones’ offer of joining the coaching staff. However, the prospect of not knowing what might have been, along with being cleared to work out, made him decide it was worth seeing if he could get drafted.
“You’ve been playing for so long that you want to end it on your terms. At the same time, you don’t want to stop short. So I kept pushing,” Stewart said.
Just getting to the Combine was a battle in and of itself. He ended up being one of the 50 invited to Indianapolis as Stewart and Fields continued to fight the notion that Stewart was retired.
“The whole goal was to get there,” Fields said. “It’s not a matter of if he can play but if doctors would allow him to.”
What to expect: a thorough exam
Stewart’s most hectic day will be Saturday, when he meets with the doctors of the 32 teams. Considering the questions about Stewart and the level of examination each prospect receives, he could be there the whole day. Fields expects Stewart to be cleared to participate in the workouts.
“I know it’s going to be pretty thorough. I’m expecting to be in all day and it is the only injury I’ve had,” Stewart said.
The medical check could also be one of two things – affirmation that Stewart’s career can continue, or a sign that it is time to focus on a coaching career.
Ted Borgerding, who has been Stewart’s workout coordinator at Ignition, said Stewart is in great shape and that he expects him to do well.
“I’m excited for him to showcase his ability. For his position he has an opportunity to be one of the fastest guys,” Borgerding said. “If you can be one of the top three to four athletes that’s something. ”
Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout said that if healthy, Stewart would rank as a potential mid-round prospect a stand-up pass-rushing outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment. But as Rang and many others have pointed out, if teams aren’t satisfied with Stewart’s medical grade, he could go undrafted.
In 44 career games, which included 40 consecutive starts, Stewart had 17.5 sacks, including five last season.
“My weight and technique are where they should be. I’m excited to showcase my skill set and I’m going to try to enjoy it,” Stewart said.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...opes-alive