Where Are They Now: David Boston

When the Arizona Cardinals drafted David Boston eighth overall in 1999 they thought they were getting a dynamic receiver their young franchise quarterback, Jake Plummer. For the first three seasons of Boston's career, it looked as if they'd made a great choice. Sure his attitude and affinity to showboat was a headache but by the end of his third season he set the record for receiving yards by a Cardinal and was the second youngest player ever to total over 1,500 receiving yards in a season. In the end, we all know he career in the NFL was derailed by so many off the field issues (multiple DUI's, assault charges, and failed drug tests for cocaine, marijuana, GHB and steroids). that it's hard to keep track of them all. He was last seen on an NFL team during the 2007 training camp but he was released after a DUI in which he was found asleep at the wheel and tested positive for GHB, but was not intoxicated. So why would I even bring his name up again?

Well David Boston is back in professional football again.....sort of. He was signed earlier this year by the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football league. At the time of the signing both sides sounded quite pleased:

Commented Argonauts Head Coach Rich Stubler, "We are extremely excited about signing David. We have been looking for a big, physical receiver and he certainly fulfills that role. He has the size and speed to be a dominant player in our league as the wider field should fit well with his natural abilities. Combined with returning receivers Arland Bruce III, Obed Cétoute, Patrick Johnson, Andre Talbot and Chad Rempel, David adds another powerful weapon to our receiving corps."

Remarked newest Argo David Boston, "I'm extremely excited to come to Toronto and compete, and hopefully win a Grey Cup championship. I'm thankful for the opportunity the organization has given me and I'm looking forward to being at training camp."

Unfortunately for the Argonauts and Boston though, he'd play in the first game of their season and then announced that he'd need foot surgery. When he originally signed with the Args, it was assumed that he'd need surgery but after he sought a second opinion there was hope that he could rehab the injury instead of having surgery. After a game that saw him catch just one pass for four yards though, he told the coach that the pain was just too much. The timetable for his return is between 10 and 12 weeks. Boston is still relatively young (he'll turn 30 next month), but his time to revive a squandered career is slipping away.

As much as he infuriated me during his four short years in the desert and as many of my fantasy teams that he sank, I guess that I wish him the best now. I can only hold a grudge for so long. Any fond memories of Boston after all these years or was he too much of egotistical nightmare to think of him as anything else?