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5-year-old son of Dilfer dies

By Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 28, 2003

Trevin Dilfer, 5-year-old son of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Trent Dilfer, died Sunday in California after a 40-day battle with heart disease.

The boy's parents and three sisters were at his bedside at a Stanford University hospital.

"Trevin was a very brave young boy, and we are comforted in knowing that as a child of God he has returned to his maker," the family said in a statement. "We grieve, but not as those without hope."

The Dilfers thanked supporters and hospital staff while requesting privacy, and a family spokesman said there would be no additional comment.

Trent Dilfer was the No. 1 pick of the Bucs in 1994, playing for six seasons.

Henry cools off over Bills pick

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Running back Travis Henry was angry at first when Buffalo picked Willis McGahee in the first round.

Believing his starting job was being threatened, Henry called it "a slap in the face" when the Bills selected Miami's McGahee with the 23rd pick in the draft.

Henry wasn't backing off Sunday, but he was a little more diplomatic after being reassured his job wasn't in jeopardy.

"When you see something like that immediately, you're going to react that way," Henry's agent, Greg Johnson, said. "Immediately his natural reaction was, "What's going on here? And I feel like it's a slap in the face because they don't need a running back at the first pick.' "

Henry, the NFL's fifth-leading rusher last season, was in better spirits after Johnson spoke with Bills vice president Jim Overdorf.

Team president Tom Donahoe said that while Henry was taken aback by McGahee's addition, he welcomed the competition.

"Obviously, he was in shock. Was there anybody in Buffalo that wasn't in shock?" Donahoe said. "And I think Travis' reaction was probably a pretty natural reaction. We have not found Travis Henry to be anything but a competitive, aggressive tough football player."

McGahee agent set up pick?

MIAMI - As the TV camera showed an anxious Willis McGahee waiting to be taken during the first round, his agent phoned him and told him to pretend he was talking to an NFL team.

The agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was sitting next to McGahee at the time.

"I didn't want to make it look like our phones weren't ringing," Rosenhaus said. "Willis and I had a little chat to create the perception that we weren't waiting for teams to call us."

Rosenhaus believes such gamesmanship helped McGahee become a first-round choice despite a knee injury that was once considered career-threatening. Buffalo took the former Miami running back with the 23rd pick.

The Bills dispute that Rosenhaus influenced their decision.

"I've known Drew Rosenhaus for 20 years, and Drew does a great job for his clients," Donahoe said. "He says a lot of things ... and as good as Drew does his job as an agent, he doesn't do our job."

USF gets 2 more taken

A day after former USF linebacker Kawika Mitchell was taken in the second round by Kansas City, the highest a Bulls player ever has been drafted, two more USF players were selected.

Defensive end Shurron Pierson was taken in the fourth round by Oakland, and receiver DeAndrew Rubin was taken in the seventh round by Green Bay.

Former USF quarterback Marquel Blackwell signed a free-agent contract with the New York Jets.

Guard Montrae Holland was the highest Florida State player taken on Day 2, going in the fourth round (102) to New Orleans.

Florida's top picks on Day 2 were safety Todd Johnson (100) and defensive tackle Ian Scott (116), both taken by Chicago in the fourth round.

When San Francisco watched Ken Dorsey throw during a workout at its training complex two weeks ago, the team didn't see the problem.

Where was the weak-armed, pencil-thin quarterback who supposedly won 38 games and a national title at Miami only because of his talented teammates and an outstanding system? The 49ers saw a strapping athlete zipping passes.

The 49ers selected Dorsey with their seventh-round pick.

One of the most successful college quarterbacks also was one of the most maligned, but the 49ers believe his abilities are worth investigating.

"When we had him in our workout, he had plenty of arm strength," new coach Dennis Erickson said. "I know our people at the combine said it was a totally different guy (in the 49ers' workout). To me, his arm strength isn't a factor. We think he'll be a player in this league."

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