Anthony ready to catch up

Bucs wide receiver says struggles on and off the field have made him more mature.

By ROGER MILLS

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 18, 2000

Anthony

TAMPA -- Reidel Anthony knows that pondering the agony of last season is an exercise in futility.

History won't change.

But as he sat on the back stoop outside the locker room at One Buc Place, Anthony's spirit seemed remarkably lifted. There was a sparkle in his eyes, a stereo sound in his voice.

Although only 23, Anthony talked more like an aged warrior than a player with only three seasons under his belt.

After a nearly disastrous 1999, he is ready to pick up the pieces, starting with Sunday's opening of training camp.

"There were so many issues I had," Anthony said. "I wish I could have taken some of those away and had more positive things going on in my life, but that's not how it worked. But, I feel like I have matured as a person and as a player."

How, then, did Anthony, who appeared to have so much promise, seem to lose his hands, his timing and his confidence?

What happened to Anthony, a first-round draft pick who the year before had 51 receptions for 708 yards and seven touchdowns?

"A lot," Anthony said. "You have no idea."

First, there was the agent debacle.

Initially represented by former agent William "Tank" Black, who is facing federal charges involving, swindling his clients, money laundering and drugs, Anthony saw his finances go into a tailspin.

"It was as hard as it appeared to be," Anthony said. "You know how you put your trust in someone and they violate your trust? You really can't describe that (sense of betrayal). It has to happen to you for you to really know what it's like. You can't put it into words. It just lingered on for so damn long that I got frustrated."

Although he won't discuss many details about a case yet to reach court -- a case in which he may be called to testify -- Anthony said he realized those concerns took their toll internally.

"In a way it did," he said. "I had things to do to deal with that during the season. But I'm not going to make that an excuse."

Javin Walker, a close friend of Anthony's for about 15 years, said he never had seen his friend in such straits.

"It was hard for me to watch him struggle," Walker said. "I wasn't in the Tank Black predicament like he was, but I can tell you, when you're talking about money, it's got to have an effect on you."

Another problem surfaced in Anthony's hometown of South Bay.

"Where I grew up, everybody wants to start a rumor ... even if they don't know what they're talking about," he said. "When you're doing well, they are all for you and when things are going bad, they start these rumors."

Anthony would not elaborate on the rumors but said they kept coming back to him and his family.

Walker, who is also from South Bay, said former athletes "jealous of Reidel's achievements," started spreading rumors about Anthony losing his heart and being traded.

"Word spread and it got back to him," Walker said. "That was just another obstacle."

Added Anthony: "They were like a bucket of crabs. They're trying to pull you down, pull you down. Most of them are backstabbers."

Predictably, the Black situation and the rumors back home made Anthony an increasingly distrusting person.

"You know how people come to you with this idea and that idea," he said. "It's hard to trust anyone. Anyone. Especially in my position. It's a messed-up situation."

Bucs coach Tony Dungy said Anthony's situation reminded him of the trials of former kicker Michael Husted. Husted struggled through the 1997 season while dealing with his mother's battle with cancer. As his kicking declined, the rumor mill about his imminent release escalated. Dungy stuck with Husted through the year.

"It's a bit unfair that we like to think all professionals should be able to go out there every day and concentrate on doing their jobs without letting personal things get in the way," Dungy said. "As a coach, you know what's going on in their personal lives. You know more (than the public). Sometimes you don't know.

"In Reidel's case, the more and more things came out after the season, the more we were led to believe that those internal things were affecting him."

But there was more.

In the first quarter of the opener, a 17-13 loss to the Giants, Anthony suffered a rib contusion that sidelined him for the next game (against the Eagles) and kept him relatively ineffective against Denver in Game 3.

He also suffered a sprained left ankle against the Raiders and spent the final game and the two playoff games on the inactive list with a left quadriceps strain.

"I'm not going to make any excuses about the bunch of injuries I had, like every two weeks," said Anthony, who had 30 catches, 296 yards and one touchdown. "But the problem was that I missed one game with an injury and then missed four or five games recovering from the injury."

Walker said he remembered getting a phone call from Anthony when he injured the hamstring in the last practice before the Chicago game.

"There was a real sense of urgency in his voice, I could hear it," Walker said. "He had never had to deal with injuries like this, and he knew he needed to be back out on the field."

Now, Anthony can't wait to get back on the field. Under the tutelage of new offensive coordinator Les Steckel, Anthony said he's more at ease and should be more productive.

"I'm not like I was last year, in an offense for three years just running and having fun," Anthony said. "We were out there like our heads were cut off. If (Steckel) had been here, the first two or three years, I would have matured more as a football player."

The weight of expectations and the added burden of off-field issues had one positive influence, Anthony said. They forced him to come of age.

"The first few years, I would hang out with my boys after practice," said Anthony, who was inactive against the Falcons because he missed a team meeting after a late night of partying with teammates and friends. "But now, I'm pretty much home and laying around and watching my satellite, instead of just chillin' during the night. I go out from time to time and hang out with the boys, but I still go home and try to rest my body.

"It's called growing up."

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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