Clemens Goes East
Steven Herbert
Friday March 28, 2003
“We’re excited for him,” Los Angeles head coach Ed Hodgkiss said. “We wish him the best of luck. Hopefully it will work out for him.”
The stint with the Eagles will be Clemens’ third attempt to make an NFL roster. Clemens was released by Jacksonville in 2001 and Seattle in 2002 before the start of the regular season.
Clemens started four games, rushing for 38 yards on 21 carries in seven games since being signed Feb. 7. Clemens ran for three touchdowns, including a game-winning one-yard dive as time expired in a 65-61 victory at New York March 9.
“It’s a loss,” Hodgkiss said. “Kevin Clemens was doing a great job both sides of the ball for us. He really started to come around as a player for us, but that’s the nature of the game. Sometimes you lose a player to injury; sometimes you lose one to the NFL.”
Clemens’ departure comes as FB/LB Mathias Vavao is ready to return. Vavao is expected to be activated from injured reserve for Sunday’s game at Orlando after missing the past three games because of a rib injury, Hodgkiss said.
Vavao leads the Avengers with 45 yards and five touchdowns on 18 carries.
Former Southern California running back Sunny Byrd completed a two-day tryout with the Avengers Thursday, but will not be signed, Hodgkiss said.
“He did a good job in practice, but he just didn’t have the size to play that position in our league,” Hodgkiss said of Byrd, listed at 6-feet and 215 pounds while playing for the Trojans. “He was a good local player and you don’t want to miss any of those guys.”
Steven Herbert began covering Arena Football in 1988, the league’s second season. He has covered the sport for The Associated Press, Arizona Republic, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Providence Journal-Bulletin, Palm Beach Post, Daily Oklahoman and other publications. Herbert has also written on college and NFL football for The Washington Post and spent five years as a Los Angeles Times staff writer.
