Dismissed from the University of Miami football team last month, star safety Ray-Ray Armstrong went through his first practice with a new team Wednesday.
Afterward, Armstrong would only talk about his hopes at Faulkner University and not about what happened with the Hurricanes or how it might affect his NFL future.
"I'm focused on Faulkner University right now," Armstrong said. "The NFL can wait. I'm just focusing on bettering myself as a person and a player.
"I made some bad decisions (at Miami), but I want to focus on the future. What's done is done. That's in the past. I'm focused on Faulkner University."
Faulkner inherits a player with a troubled past with the Hurricanes.
MORE: Armstrong enrolls at Faulker University
Armstrong was suspended three times in the last year. He missed the first four games of the 2011 season and didn't play in November against Florida State after improper contact with boosters, according to reports.
Miami suspended him indefinitely in late June after he reportedly Tweeted about a meeting with a booster and kicked him off the team in mid-July.
"I believe I've grown a lot," Armstrong said. "I recognize what I did wrong and I'm going to do my best to put my best foot forward from here on out."
Faulkner coach Brent Barker said the Eagles probed Armstrong's past and that reviews of Armstrong were good.
"He really didn't do a whole lot wrong, more than anybody else in life," Barker said. "From the people I asked about him, they've said nothing but positive things."
Though Armstrong practiced Wednesday and attended the school's first day of classes, he's not yet eligible to play. Faulkner is waiting for the NAIA Eligibility Center to clear Armstrong.
"He's just looking for a chance to come and compete and change the perception about him," Faulkner defensive coordinator Steve Cheatham said.
"We researched him completely, from start to finish, and we didn't do it because we wanted a great player," Cheatham said. "We wanted to make sure it was a great fit."
Armstrong, who said he'd never been to Alabama before Sunday, found Faulkner through a friend of Cheatham's.
Armstrong said former Miami defensive backs coach Paul Williams first told him of Faulkner, a program with 11 wins in five previous seasons of existence.
Cheatham said he heard of Armstrong from a junior college assistant coach in Mississippi who is close friends with Williams. Cheatham and Armstrong's family talked in late July, but Cheatham said he heard nothing else until last week.
"We kind of wrote it off and figured he was going somewhere else," Cheatham said.
Last Thursday, Cheatham sent Armstrong's dad a text message "just checking," and was surprised at the response: "When can we come?" Armstrong, after considering filing for an injunction against Miami, had decided to leave and wanted to come to Faulkner.
Armstrong flew in Sunday, filled out paperwork Monday, had his academic transcript sent to Faulkner, met with school president Billy Hilyer and enrolled Tuesday.
"I want to come out here and better myself as a person, guide the younger players and help make them better players," Armstrong said. "These guys welcomed me the first day, and I'm thankful. I'm glad to be here."
PR
