HOUSTON (AP) -Bobby Reid hasn't played football since a 2008 injury, but the former Oklahoma State quarterback might get another chance at reviving his once-promising career.
Reid, who became known more for Mike Gundy's now infamous ``I'm a man. I'm 40'' rant than his athletic ability, will take part in LSU's pro day Monday with hopes that an NFL team will give him a chance to get back to doing what he loves.
``I'm excited,'' he said. ``I'm past excited. I'm getting ready to go. I've been training so long and I'm ready to let it fly on Monday.''
LSU coach Les Miles recruited Reid to Oklahoma State and when the player asked his former coach if he could participate in LSU's pro day, he happily agreed.
Gundy's almost 3 1/2-minute tirade in 2007 was meant as a defense of Reid after a column critical of the quarterback appeared in The Oklahoman after he lost his starting job. But instead of making things better for the player once regarded as the top recruit in school history, the incident and ensuing controversy made it virtually impossible for Reid to continue with the Cowboys.
``Growing up I'd always had pretty good success and when that happened at Oklahoma State, I didn't know how to react to it,'' he said. ``Nobody around me knew how to react to it.''
``It happened and people kind of took it too far. There were car commercials about it and everything. I was like: 'It's over. I lost my starting job, let's move on,' but it kept on getting bigger and bigger.''
After he left Oklahoma State, Reid was quoted as saying that Gundy's outburst ``basically ended my life.'' Now that he's years removed from the low point of his football career, he's changed his tune.
``I don't feel like that anymore,'' he said. ``I said that because at the time it kind of put the brakes on what I was trying to accomplish. But now that I'm past that I'm around a lot of good people and they just kept me going forward and give me motivation every day to work out and get back to where I am today.''
Reid almost entered the draft after that season, but instead transferred to Texas Southern. There he threw for 1,791 yards and 12 touchdowns in nine games before a torn ACL ended his season.
Though he's been out of football for more than a year, Reid believes the winding road he's taken to get back to the game will help him be an improved leader on the field. Going from big-budget Oklahoma State to tiny Texas Southern helped him appreciate his past success.
``Just seeing everything from new perspectives made me realize you couldn't take anything for granted,'' he said. ``I had bumps in the road, but I just use all that for motivation to keep me going and the want for me to get back to playing football because I miss it so bad.''
After surgery to repair the injury, he wasn't healthy enough to fully participate in a pro day last year. With an extra year of recovery and workouts with people including Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson and LSU star Brandon LaFell, Reid believes he can impress scouts with his skills.
He'll be throwing to LaFell on Monday and the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Reid is hoping the pair can put on a good show after working out together for the past few months.
Reid is confident he'll get another chance, and if he does he'll have a special fan there to watch his return.
``The love for my little girl pushes me,'' Reid said of his 6-year-old daughter. ``We talk on the phone all the time and she always asks me when my next football game is. I'm like: 'Just give Daddy a couple more days and I'll let you know.'''
