Staley is on the mend, looking to future

PROVO — Former BYU running back Luke Staley left school early to pursue a career in the National Football League, though he has yet to play a down.

Still, he has received quite a real-world education — probably the equivalent of a master's degree from the School of Hard Knocks.

It started with his plummeting draft stock last April, followed by another knee injury, followed by another knee surgery, followed by months of rehabilitation. Then there was the time he and his wife woke up to gunfire and bullet holes at their residence near Detroit.

Staley admits it's been a frustrating year. Now, he says, his knee is back to full strength and he is upbeat about his chances of playing in the NFL. As a result of the challenges, he's become wiser. "It was a good learning experience. I feel that I know what to expect," he said. "I'm not going into it blind. This was a chance to learn what the NFL is all about."

One thing Staley has learned is that the NFL is a business. While draft day marks the fulfillment of childhood dreams for many players, it was a nightmare for Staley, whose spectacular junior year ended prematurely due to a broken fibula and torn ankle ligaments.

Going into the 2002 draft, he was told he could possibly go as high as the second round. Turned out, he had to wait until the seventh round (No. 214 overall) for his name to be called by the Detroit Lions. "It was a couple of the worst days of my life," Staley said.

In 2001, he rushed for a school-record 1,596 yards and 28 touchdowns. He was a consensus first-team All-America and won the Doak Walker Award, emblematic of the nation's top running back. However, those accomplishments didn't seem to matter much. Apparently, teams were scared off by his history of injuries. Because he slid all the way to the final round of the draft, his signing bonus slid, too — from an expected $100,000 to about $26,000.

Still, Staley's troubles were far from over. During the Lions' training camp in late July, he suffered a strained anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during a non-contract drill. The organization presented him with three options: undergo season-ending surgery, play with a brace on the knee, or retire. He elected to have surgery, which sidelined him for the season.

Off the field, there were other surprises. One night Staley and his wife, Heather, were sleeping in their townhome in Dearborn, about five miles outside Detroit, when they were awakened by the sound of gunshots. They found bullet holes in the walls of their home.