THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 12, 1996 TAG: 9602120152
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: INDIANAPOLIS LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
No one said it was easy getting an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine. No one would believe how hard getting home was for Norfolk State's Aaron Sparrow and James Roe.
First, their portion of Sunday's combine workout took longer than anticipated, by about two hours. When the Spartans' quarterback and wide receiver climbed into coach Darnell Moore's rental car to head for the airport, they had about 35 minutes to catch their flight.
Intermittent snow squalls made driving on Indiana interstates more delicate. Passenger traffic was surprisingly heavy for a Sunday night, further slowing the process. Roe and Sparrow checked their bags, then discovered that the flight was about to take off and couldn't wait for them to get to the gate.
When they went back to baggage claim looking for their luggage, they discovered it had been loaded on the plane and was on its way to Norfolk.
There were no other flights to Norfolk Sunday night. Moore, flying a different airline, missed his scheduled flight trying to help his players, but was able to make a later flight.
Ultimately, the two players checked into the same downtown hotel they hoped they had seen the last of a couple hours before. They didn't stay any longer than necessary. Their flight to Norfolk left this morning at 6:05.
WHERE'S ARNOLD? You gotta wonder about some of these NFL folks. There's this player from Butler University, Arnold Mickens. He has been the most productive running back in the country the last two seasons with 3,183 yards.
He wasn't invited to the combine.
``I'm used to not getting the respect I deserve, but I think I should have been invited because of what I accomplished,'' Mickens said.
It's not his size. Mickens is 6-feet-1, 215 pounds. It's not his versatility. Before transferring to Butler, Mickens was a linebacker at Indiana, good enough for the Big Ten.
Mickens and coach Ken LaRose staged their own combine late last week. Every team was invited to make the short trip from here to Butler. Fifteen accepted.
``It's turned into one of those pass-the-buck things,'' LaRose said when asked about the league's reason for ignoring his star player. ``No one I've talked with would say who had the ultimate authority to invite Arnold. I am frustrated. I think he belongs among the top 300 players.''
SPARE CHANGE: Among the invitees was University of Pittsburgh free safety Anthony Dorsett. Yes, he's the son of the great former Panthers' and Dallas Cowboys' running back, Tony Dorsett. ... One player teams wanted to know more about after the combine? Virginia tight end Bobby Neely. Another? Virginia Tech's Bryan Still. ... The player exuding the most confidence following his workout may have been Cavaliers quarterback Mike Groh. Asked if he showed the scouts anything they hadn't seen before, Groh answered, ``If they want to see the true nature of what I can do, they should watch tape of the games I played. Playing quarterback is not about the combine.'' Asked if he liked his chances to be drafted, Groh replied, ``I feel good; someone needs a Mike Groh on their team.'' ... Just released Colts head coach Ted Marchibroda showed up in the lobby of the Crown Plaza Hotel Sunday, helping his son, an agent, get to know a couple of prospects. by CNB