Daunte Culpepper + incarcerated teenage mother

Daunte Culpepper + incarcerated teenage mother, Adam Schefter of ESPN recently reported that Daunte Culpepper put the finishing touches on a contract with the UFL's Sacramento Mountain Lions. The details aren’t clear at this point, but the signing will reunite the veteran quarterback with former Minnesota VikingsCoach Dennis Green.

The Mountain Lions moved to Sacramento after spending their inaugural year as the California Redwoods. Coach Green and new addition Culpepper should serve two purposes for the Sacramento franchise- putting people in the seats and making the squad immediate contenders for the title in the UFL’s 2nd season of operation. This year consists of a ten-week schedule with two ‘byes’ mixed in. Each team will play the other four teams twice, once at home and once on the road. With the competition being fanned out in Nevada, Nebraska, Connecticut, and Florida, the Mountain Lions are sure to rack up some frequent flyer miles.

Culpepper spent seven seasons and made 80 starts with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, often rearing back and throwing the football as far as he could into the Metrodome air before watching it crest and fall into the large hands of former VikingRandy Moss. Culpepper and Moss kept the Vikings relevant in the highly competitive NFC Central for several seasons. Unfortunately, in the cruel business that is professional football, Culpepper hasn’t been relevant for awhile.

The 6-foot-4-inch 260-pounder bounced from the Dolphins to the Raiders before being signed by the Detroit Lions in the midst of their historically ineffective 0-16 2008 season. In both Oakland and Detroit- and for the most part Miami as well- Culpepper was a lot like a carpenter with no tools as offensive line protection often broke down quickly and he didn’t have the use of any big-play receivers or running backs. Naturally, the end results didn’t look too good on paper or on video, and the past three years have taken a toll on the veteran’s reputation.

By signing with the Mountain Lions, Culpepper becomes a big fish in the United Football League’s small pond, as he will likely be the league’s most recognizable player amongst its five teams. Some see Culpepper’s move to the UFL as a signal that his NFL career has been completed, but those who know the story of Daunte Culpepper are holding back on jumping to conclusions. Born in jail to a teenage mother who was incarcerated for armed robbery, Culpepper is no stranger to being behind the 8-ball. Culpepper completed a 4-year-career at the University of Central Florida where he set the all-time NCAA mark for completion percentage for a season (73.6%). The Vikings selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 1999NFL Draft. In 2002, after two full seasons as a starting quarterback, he was esteemed enough to appear on the cover of the wildly popular Madden video game.

Source:examiner