Benny Sapp was considered the No. 1 returning cornerback in the Big Ten for his junior season at Iowa in 2002. Then, in August, as fall practice was starting, Sapp was pepper-sprayed and handcuffed by Iowa City police. He was charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
"It was never as bad as it sounded, and everything was dropped," Sapp said.
Unfortunately for Benny, he had been in trouble previously and was under warning from Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes coach dismissed Sapp from the team.
Sapp went to Northern Iowa. He also went from a strong prospect for the 2004 draft to a free agent.
"I got a few calls after the draft," he said. "I went to Kansas City to meet with the Chiefs. That was an eye-opener."
The Chiefs brought Sapp into a room that still had lists of predraft evaluations.
"They had these scores -- 5.7, 5.3, 4.5," he said. "It was long list, and I had the lowest rating ... one-point-something. I thought, 'They don't give me much of a chance.' "
Sapp's relentlessness gained him a place with the 2004 Chiefs as a special teams player. He hung around there for three more seasons, then signed with the Vikings in 2008. He made the team and took over as nickel back in November when Charles Gordon broke a leg.