Sports

By Derek Levarse dlevarse@timesleader.com
Sports Reporter
Derek Levarse on Facebook   |   TLdlevarse on Twitter

Navorro Bowman seethed on the sideline. Having just re-aggravated a groin injury in the season opener, the linebacker did nothing but hop on top of an equipment trunk behind his teammates. And after trainers had finished looking at him, no one was particularly eager to bother him.

click image to enlarge

Although life outside of football has been full of troubles, Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman is considering whether to decalre for the NFL draft or to stay at Penn State for his last season.

Fred adams file photo/for the times leader

Select images available for purchase in the
Times Leader Photo Store

This was not how he envisioned starting a season that could lead him to the NFL.

And the NFL has been on his mind for awhile now. While he has had great success on the field these last two seasons, his life outside of football has been in turmoil.

His father and high school coach both died unexpectedly within the span of six months. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct following an on-campus fight in 2007 and was suspended from the team at the end of that season and through the following spring.

This spring, he tested positive for marijuana, violating his probation and putting his football future in jeopardy.

So by the time Bowman returned from that pulled groin that sidelined him for most of the first three games of the 2009 season, he was eager to prove himself to everyone. And he sounds ready to move on to the next level.

“I’ve had my time here,” Bowman said. “It’s been good, it’s been bad, it’s been all right. If it’s my time (to leave), I’ll sit down and just think about the ins-and-outs. I’m just blessed to be in this position to make this choice. But I don’t know – it’s a lot of things that play into this.”

Heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale at Michigan State, Bowman has certainly made his case to the NFL scouts. A fourth-year junior, Bowman will decide after the bowl game whether to declare for April’s draft or return to Penn State for his final season.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Bowman said on Saturday after he returned an interception 73 yards for a touchdown and recorded 12 tackles and a sack to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors. “It’s a great, great (chance) to have, a great choice to make. I’m gonna sit down and think over it – what’s the best choice for me to make.

“(I was) sitting here thinking about it leading up to the game, and at the end of the game. I haven’t made the choice yet, but it’s on my mind. It’s a choice I have to make soon.”

Players can request an evaluation from the draft board to get an idea of where they might be selected. Bowman said a first-round grade would almost certainly entice him to leave, but that high of a rating seems unlikely, especially as NFL teams take any off-field issues very seriously in light of newer conduct rules.

Bowman said he’s been wary of big-name players in recent years who have returned to school for another season, only to see their draft stock be damaged by an injury. Take Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford this season as an extreme example.

“You do see what happens to guys in recent years with coming back and trying to play out their college careers, and then not (being able to do) what they really wanted to do,” Bowman said. “I love this game of football and if you have a chance to play against the best guys in the world, why not take it?”

Another factor for Bowman is the tale of Aaron Maybin, his former roommate at Penn State who left for the NFL after the minimum three seasons and was taken in the first round.

“Me and Aaron, we’re like brothers. We sit down and talk about the NFL, and he’s really enjoying his time,” Bowman said. “But one thing he said to me was you have to grow up really fast. You have to take everything (into consideration) and make the right choice for yourself.

“It’s a lot of things you put into perspective when making a decision like this. I’m gonna do that. I can get better as a football player, but you gotta make the choice that’s right for you and your family.”