Michael Bush wants back in the NFL. He, along with several familiar names, took part in the inaugural veteran combine on Sunday, and the 30-year-old running back who hasn't had an NFL carry since 2013, said he was happy "to show people I can still run a little bit."
Unfortunately, Bush needed 4.91 seconds to cover 40 yards.
"You gotta be (expletive) me," he said upon hearing his time, via NFL.com. "... 4.91? ... There you go, there goes my career."
To be fair, Bush played at 245 pounds during his career, so it's not like anyone expected him to bust out a 4.3. That wasn't much of a consolation, however.
"Man, stop playing," he said to reporters. "4.91? You all just messed it up for me. A 4.91? That's like saying you can come off the bench, and you can come catch me."
Bush wasn't the only one surprised by his slow time. It seemed to be a theme for other veterans looking for work.
"They said I was a 4.6 or something, but I’ve been running 4.3s and 4.4s all through training," former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Carlton Mitchell said, via SBNation. "I think the lasers, I think it’s the first time they were using them. People that know me know that I’m not a 4.6 guy. When they told me that I said ‘What?’ ...
"I was training six days a week before I even knew about this. Once I found out the good news, I just upped everything a little bit," Mitchell continued. "I had one [pass] that got away from me and that bothers me. First drop all offseason, but I felt pretty good. There’s certain things I still need to work on, of course, but I’m pretty happy for the most part."
Meanwhile, Bush remained shocked.
"It hurts," he said. "It hurts."
The former Louisville star spent four seasons in Oakland, another two in Chicago, and was with the Cardinals for a few weeks last season. In seven seasons, Bush rushed for 3,250 yards, averaging 4.0 yards per carry, and scored 29 touchdowns.
