Hoping for better life, FAU's Joseph eyes NFL

It's what he did on Friday nights in high school, on Saturdays in college, and what he hopes to do on Sundays in the NFL.

That's why no one who knew Joseph was surprised by what he did this past Dec. 27.

FAU's season ended with the bowl win over Central Michigan on Dec. 26, a game where Joseph led the Owls with 13 tackles.

The very next morning, instead of going to Boca Raton for end-of-season celebrating, he was on a plane destined for Martinsville, N.J., set to begin training at the TEST sports club alongside other NFL hopefuls.

Joseph immediately impressed Brian Martin, the CEO of the club - without doing a single thing on the workout field.

"A lot of kids that we work with are prima donnas. They come in and say, 'What shoes are you giving me? What shirt are you giving me?' That kind of stuff," Martin said. "Frantz actually called me the day before Christmas, said he was coming out the day after the game, and asked if we needed help setting up because he knew we had 32 guys coming in. He's an amazing kid. So appreciative of everything."

It's all part of Joseph's upbringing.

His mother, Marie Clercius, had five children, him being the youngest. She came to the United States nearly 40 years ago, still speaks English with an extremely thick accent, yet counts herself as one of the lucky ones. She worked as a cleaner for years, and now rents a table space for $15 at a three-times-a-week swap meet, reselling items she bought at secondhand shops.

"Just trying to make a dollar, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays," Joseph said.

To help make ends meet, Joseph took out a slew of student loans when he was in college. As a kid, he would ask churches for help. He'd go into older women's homes, help them with various chores, hoping for some pocket change. He knew people who turned to a life of crime - but he resisted following that path.

"I'm very proud of my son," Clercius said in a phone interview.

The majority of mock drafts on the Internet suggest Joseph - at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds - will likely get taken somewhere between the fourth and sixth rounds. A few have him going earlier, a few later, a few not at all.

Joseph says as long as he gets into a training camp, he'll be fine. Martin, his trainer at TEST, feels the same way.

"I've watched a lot of film, spent time with a lot of guys," Martin said. "I don't know where he'll get drafted, but I think he's a Pro Bowl guy someday. I think he's the next Ray Lewis. He's an incredible, fierce hitter. A lot of passion. I don't say that lightly."

Deep down, that fierce hitter is just a momma's boy.

He plays the game for his mother, still trying to give her the better life that she fled Haiti for a lifetime ago.

"That's why I'm out here, having fun, smiling," Joseph said. "But it's different when I go home. I know what my mother doesn't have. Time is running out. I haven't had my father since I was 3 years old. I had to take a stand at being the man. I have to get it done. So give me a chance. Put a running back in front of me and see what happens."

He pauses. He smiles, again.

"Like I said, that's my life," Joseph said.