Saints' Hargrove: From rock bottom to Super Bowl

MIAMI -- Few people other than Anthony Hargrove know exactly what the bottom was for him. He was a drug addict who lived a brutal and unforgiving life. The bottom was probably deep, but it may have been deeper than publicly understood.

Hargrove's story is one of perseverance and hope, but it also contains sharp edges and cautionary tales. He was exiled by the NFL for the entire 2008 season after repeat violations of the league's drug policy. After time in drug rehabilitation and being reinstated by commissioner Roger Goodell, Hargrove, a defensive tackle, sent a video to a number of NFL teams explaining his story and how he had corrected his life.

When folks say Anthony Hargrove has baggage, it's now a reference to his Miami arrival. (AP)

The Saints took a chance on Hargrove, and the rest of the story is remarkable. He hasn't eroded the trust the Saints and his teammates have put in him and as a result, Hargrove is quite possibly the best story of Super Bowl XLIV.

Did he think, considering his past, he'd be right here, right now?

"You're talking to somebody who's been through a lot," Hargrove said. "I don't believe [anything is] unrealistic. But when you're sitting there and you're going through it, all you have is your thoughts and wishes. So to say if it's realistic or not, I don't know. But I know what I wanted at that point. If I had gotten my opportunity, I was going to do whatever it took to get here. Did I think it was going to happen this fast? No. But did I want it this fast? Yeah."

The concern isn't gone. Recovering addicts face the possibility of a relapse. It's a cold truth that remains in the thoughts of not just Hargrove but many of the Saints players.

"We watch out for each other, but mostly probably him," Saints teammate Will Smith said. "We know he can be on edge sometimes, so we try to do our best to help him out as much as we can. He's always on edge. Everybody cares for him so much that they don't want to see him doing something he'll regret. For the most part, he's a stand-up guy. Everybody always has that feeling that you've got to watch out for him every now and then."

Hargrove, 26, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and spent time in the foster care system. His mother died of complications of AIDS when he was 9, and he settled with an aunt in Florida.

He flunked out of Georgia Tech but was still drafted in the third round by the St. Louis Rams in 2004, despite being out of football for at least a year. It was then when everything began to disintegrate. He disappeared for several practices without explanation, and the Rams eventually traded him to Buffalo.

There things went from bad to worse. He was arrested after an altercation with police outside a Buffalo-area club. Soon after that he failed a drug test and was suspended for four games. He was then suspended for an entire season after failing another drug test for what he said was use of cocaine and marijuana, as well as alcohol.

Hargrove spent more than a year in various rehab facilities. Much of the time he was alone. He didn't want friends and family to see him.

"It was hard to talk to family," he said, "because when you're locked away in a treatment facility, you don't want [anyone] near you. You're embarrassed. There's a lot of guilt, a lot of shame, a lot of remorse. So when you're there, you just retreat. But you know that you've got family out there that's caring for you, that wants to be with you. At that point, I just had to be a big boy and do big boy things."

The agent for Hargrove contacted every NFL team, but few were interested. Several told CBSSports.com that their individual investigations and background checks frightened them off.

The Saints weren't scared away. Coach Sean Payton viewed Hargrove's DVD and multipage letter with hardened interest. What impressed Payton the most was the video had very little actual football talk on it. It was Hargrove speaking about his simultaneously tragic and inspirational journey. Payton was intrigued. So they met and the coach was impressed.

"People in all walks of life, at times, can hit rock bottom or maybe exhaust their opportunities," said Payton. "There is part of us that wants to make sure you give someone a second chance, and it starts with evaluating the sincerity of someone eye to eye and having the belief or having the same confidence in that person that you would want for him to have in himself. Starting with the visit and laying out the structure for him, what we would expect and our expectation level.

"To his credit, daily he lives that. Daily he recognizes this opportunity. When that happens, there's more of a reward or gratification in what you do than the second-round pick who comes into the league. In other words, it's a good story, and it gives you confidence in the human spirit and what someone can change in their life despite the mistakes they've made prior. It's easy to be proud of a guy like that. He's had to battle and fight, and I think it's a good message."

There are, of course, always selfish reasons for why teams take chances on troubled players. The first was that Hargrove had ability. As a Ram, Hargrove was once named NFC Defensive Player of the Week, so there was talent. But by signing Hargrove, the Saints also could show their locker room they have compassion and are willing to re-examine troubled souls.

"That's really a tremendous story, and I wish that he got a little more pub for it, because you don't hear too many positive stories such as Anthony's," teammate Jonathan Vilma said. "For him to come back from everything that he's been through, it says a lot about him."

Hargrove signed a one-year deal for the league minimum in May and has been a contributor to the Super Bowl Saints ever since. In November, he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in his career after he forced a fumble and returned it 1-yard for a score.

Hargrove continues to work on his sobriety, and by all accounts, he remains drug and alcohol free. Now, he offers his assistance and experience to other NFL players. It's likely there are other Hargroves out there in professional football. There might be some here at the Super Bowl.

"We have guys, it happens all the time unfortunately [in the NFL]," he said. "When you're in a situation like that, you don't know who to turn to. You don't know how to put it into words. If there are people like that, come talk to me."