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Former 'Hound eligible for supplemental draft
Former Fort Scott Community College defensive back Kevin Short, who is the school's single-season and career interceptions record holder, is one of seven players that the National Football League has declared eligible for its supplemental draft, which will take place one week from today.
Short was an NJCAA All-American for the Greyhounds. He played here in 2011 and 2012. He intercepted seven passes in 2011 to claim that school record. Although teams threw away from him in 2012, he still managed three more interceptions to give him the school's career record of 10.
Things have not gone that well for Short in football since leaving Fort Scott. The NCAA ruled that Short was ineligible to play in 2013, denying him a chance to play for his new school, the University of Kansas. He started camp late that year but was listed as a "co-starter" for the Jayhawks' first game of the season against South Dakota even though he was held out.
Charlie Weis, who was Kansas' head coach at the time, stated in a press release that Short's junior college transcript gave no indication that Short would not be a successful student, and his grades and transferable hours exceeded entrance requirements.
"Kevin's junior college transcript was better than most and indicated no reason to expect anything other than academic success," Weis said in a press release issued shortly after the ruling. "We asked the NCAA representatives to allow Kevin to speak to them so he could show them how he had overcome adversity in life to become a proud new student, but they rejected that request. We are extremely disappointed with this decision."
The plan at the time, according to a story that appeared in the Kansas City Star, was for Short to sit out the 2013 season to work on his grades. That academic year would also be considered a redshirt season for Short, which meant that he would have two years of eligibility remaining for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Short seemed excited about the 2014 season in a story written by Matt Tait for the August 27 edition of the Lawrence Journal-World.
"It was hard to sit out," Short said during a meeting with the media. "I was mad at first. ... It was unfair, to me, because I did all that (academic) work in the summertime, and I got here."
However, in a story dated Sept. 2, 2014, published by the Wichita Eagle, Weis announced that Short was leaving KU for personal reasons. He never played a down at Kansas.
"We worked to try to help him as much as we could," Weis said in a story written by Rustin Dodd of the Eagle. "But (Monday) morning he came in and sat down with me and wasn't very comfortable. He said, 'Coach, I've got to go.'" At the time, it was thought Short would return at the semester break. But because he had already used his redshirt season, he would have had only one year of eligibility left even if he had returned in January. Weis insisted at the time that Short's departure was not because of poor academics.
"I am sorry to report that I must withdraw from school for personal reasons," Short said in a statement released upon his departure. "I want to be clear that I am not leaving due to academics and I am not being dismissed from the team. I am not sure what the future holds, but I am hoping to return to KU."
On Dec. 6, 2014, Short was one of four people, including three KU athletes, arrested in what was called "a large disturbance" at a Lawrence nightclub. Another football player, Rodriguez Coleman, and basketball star Jamari Taylor, who was suspended for one game. Short was arrested for suspicion of failure to appear in court for an unrelated case. Short was not disciplined by the football program since he was no longer on the team. It was not clear if he was still enrolled in school at the time.
The NFL supplemental draft was created in 1977 to acommodate players who did not enter the NFL Draft either because they missed the filing deadline or their collegiate academic status changed after the draft. Currently, only players who planned to attend college, but for various reasons could not, are eligible for the supplemental draft.
Since the draft's inception, only 43 players have been selected in the supplemental draft. A team that uses a supplemental pick forfeits the equivalent pick in the following year's regular draft. For instance, if a team decides to use a first-round pick in the supplemental draft, it forfeits its first-round pick in the following' year's NFL Draft. Thus most teams, should they draft anyone at all, will wait until later rounds to draft a player. Teams are not obligated to draft anyone at all. Players who are not selected become rookie free agents, eligible to sign with any team.
Among those who have been selected in the supplemental draft are quarterback Bernie Kosar in 1985, Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter in 1987, running back Bobby Humphrey in 1989, and quarterback Terrelle Pryor in 2011. Kosar graduated as a junior during a time in which a player could only be drafted when his senior class graduated. Carter was suspended from Ohio State for signing with an agent. Pryor left Ohio State after he and other teammates were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season for signing memorabilia.
Of the seven players eligible for this year's supplemental draft, it is expected that Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle will be the only one selected. Whoever gets selected first will be the first player picked in the supplemental draft since 2012, when the Cleveland Browns selected Josh Gordon.
The other five players who are eligible are West Georgia defensive end Darrius Caldwell, West Georgia defensive tackle Dalvon Stuckey, Houston defensive end Eric Eiland, Connecticut tight end Sean McQuillan and North Carolina Central wide receiver/kick returner Adrian Wilkins.
Sources for this article included the Wichita Eagle, the Lawrence Journal-World, and KU Sports.com