Running toward redemption

Thomas Clayton said all along he needed just one more shot.

And now, after enduring repeated setbacks and obstacles, the former Kansas State running back has it.

Tomorrow, on the second day of the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Clayton — who grew up in Alexandria — will get the chance to showcase his skills for more than 700 scouts, coaches and general managers. His sturdy 5-foot-10, 220-pound frame, 4.3-second 40-yard dash time and 440-pound bench press seemingly would make him a hot commodity. But the issue is more complicated than that.

Clayton enters the combine shrouded in mystery because of character issues and limited playing time at Kansas State. Four months ago it seemed unlikely Clayton would come this close to making it to the NFL. His once-promising college career ended in uncertainty.

A SuperPrep All-American out of Mount Vernon High School, Clayton accepted a full scholarship from Florida State. He appeared in four games as a true freshman, playing primarily on special teams, but decided to transfer when it appeared his playing time wouldn’t increase significantly the following year. He considered Vanderbilt, Northwestern and Michigan before settling on Kansas State.

“From the time I got to campus, Kansas State just felt right,” said Clayton, who sat out his redshirt sophomore season under NCAA transfer rules, then spent 2004 backing up current San Diego Chargers reserve Darren Sproles. “I loved everything about it and felt like it was the place for me.”

The 2005 season started in dream-like fashion but took a nightmarish twist.

Clayton led the nation in rushing for the first two weeks of the season, averaging 164.5 yards a game. Then in Week 5, the budding star got into an argument with a campus parking services employee. While driving away from the scene, Clayton struck the individual with his car and later was arrested and charged with aggravated battery.

After serving a one-game suspension, Clayton returned to the team but struggled to regain his early-season form. He finished the year with a team-high 637 yards, a 4.6-yard average and four touchdowns on 137 carries and welcomed the chance for redemption as a senior in 2006.

Clayton was rated as one of the top 10 returning backs in the country, but his senior year didn’t go as planned either. Coach Bill Snyder retired in the offseason and was replaced by former University of Virginia offensive coordinator Ron Prince. The running back and new coach never connected, Clayton said. And Prince, who failed to return repeated phone messages, suspended him for the season opener because of his misdemeanor battery conviction from the 2005 incident.

In his first action of 2006, Clayton rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries against Florida Atlantic. The following week, he ran for 76 yards against Marshall, then ripped then-No. 8 Louisville for 119 yards — including a 69-yard touchdown run — on 15 carries.

But Clayton’s momentum came to a halt, again. This time he had a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery. Clayton was cleared to resume playing late in the season, but by then Prince had demoted him to third string.

“It was pretty tough for him,” says best friend and former high school teammate Carleton Cobey, now a safety at Sam Houston State. “First, he was trying to put his conviction behind him, but it was like nobody would let it go away. Then he had the surgery and when he was ready to come back, he kept trying to meet with his coaches and they kinda blew him off.

“But I think what happened to him in college was good for him. Kept him humble and made him more hungry.”

Told he wouldn’t be allowed to travel with Kansas State to the Texas Bowl on Dec. 28, Clayton — who totaled 1,075 yards and seven touchdowns on 232 carries in his college career — pondered his future.

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