FOXBORO, Mass. -- He is an example of the human side of pro football, living proof the computer isn't always right and that desire and determination count for something.
Clarence Weathers was set to return to Florida this winter and the construction job he held. He played touch football there. He had dropped out of Delaware State after his freshman year in 1980 and hadn't been tackled since.
'I never could get back in school,' he says. 'I wanted to. But instead of W's (withdrawals) they gave me F's.'
Before going to Florida, however, Weathers made what he thought would be a brief pit stop in Massachusetts to help his 15-year-old brother start school at Stoughton, Mass. He also was going to house-sit for another brother, Robert, a running back for the New England Patriots.
The pit stop is turning into a long-term stay, as there will be three Weathers' brothers in Massachusetts this fall. Robert and Clarence will both be playing for the New England Patriots.
'It's like a dream come true, like winningthe Super Bowl or something,' Clarence said. 'I still haven't relaxed yet.'
The longest of long shots, Weathers dethroned three Patriots to earn the fifth and final spot at wide receiver. He also returns punts.
Weathers' story began when Robert asked the Patriots offensive coordinator, Lew Erber, to take a look at his brother. The two worked out together in the late summer. Erber stopped by for a peek, watched Clarence catch a few passes, and liked what he saw.
Erber then checked Clarence's background. He was eligible to be drafted and slipped through a supplemental draft. The Patriots, who would have had to yield a 1984 draft choice had they picked him in the supplemental pool, promptly signed him as a free agent on July 19, three days before the veterans started training camp.
It didn't take long for Clarence to establish himself as someone other than Robert's kid brother.
'We've got this guy who's really impressive,' coach Ron Meyer said. 'I don't know if we can find a spot for him. But I like him.'
Defensive back Rick Sanford said Weathers was the best receiver in camp after Stanley Morgan.
Despite the plaudits, Clarence looked to be a victim of the numbers game even though the Patriots were determined to find someone to take the heat off Morgan. They drafted receivers in the second and third rounds. They had Cedric Jones, Preston Brown, Morris Bradshaw and Ken Toler returning.
'I just went out there and listened and ran my routes,' Weathers said.
He caught two passes in the exhibition games for 27 yards. He returned 10 punts for 57 yards, with one embarrassing miscue that cost New England a chance to possibly win a game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Bradshaw was the first to go, then Brown was waived. By the time the Patriots concluded a 0-4 exhibition season, it was down to Toler and Weathers.
'Mentally, my bags were packed. I think I got one hour's sleep that night. I was ready to go back and get my construction job or maybe wait for the USFL. But to be honest about it, I don't think I would have tried out anywhere. Maybe I would have joined the Army. But I didn't want to think about it,' he said.
Meyer saved him from any further contemplations. Toler was cut.
'It wasn't my ability, everyone has that. If I had one thing to single out it would have to be my speed,' Weathers said.
The reuniting of the Weathers brothers marks the first time since high school in Fort Pierce, Fla., they'll be on the same team. But even then, Clarence says, they were two years apart and Robert was hurt and didn't play the one year they were on the team together.
'It's going to be a first for us. We always wanted to play together. Now we are.'
