Packers may claim Crouch
TOM SILVERSTEIN
Packers may claim Crouch
By TOM SILVERSTEIN tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com, Journal Sentinel
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
The Green Bay Packers are one of the teams giving consideration to making a waiver claim on former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Eric Crouch.
Released by the St. Louis Rams from the reserve-retired list on Friday, Crouch will become a free agent if another National Football League team doesn’t claim him on waivers by the end of the business day today. If more than one team claims him, he goes to the one with the lowest winning percentage from last year.
Agent Jim Steiner said he had had brief discussions with the Packers about Crouch, but he did not know whether they were going to make a waiver claim today. If Crouch clears waivers, any team can sign him as a free agent.
The Toronto Argonauts own Crouch’s negotiating rights in the Canadian Football League, and Crouch, who is one of three NCAA Division I players to rush for more than 3,000 yards and throw for 4,000, has indicated there’s a strong chance he’ll play for them.
The Rams selected the former Nebraska star in the third round last year and intended to play him at wide receiver and returner, but after taking part in the team’s training camp, Crouch decided that he wanted to play quarterback and retired from football. He forfeited his $395,000 signing bonus and sat out all of last season.
The Packers showed interest in the 6-foot, 195-pound Crouch during the draft last year and might be interested in him as a returner more than a quarterback even though they have a need at both positions. If Crouch does play again, he has declared that it would be at quarterback and nowhere else.
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