The statement read in part: "I am deeply concerned that something like this always seems to occur during our recruiting season and I definitely worry about its impact on our recruiting efforts.". College recruiters come out in droves to court Dupree; he estimates that several hundred schools attempted to recruit him. Where is Michael Oher now, is he still playing football in 2023? Legendary running back Walter Payton convinced him to get back in shape and try out for the NFL in 1990, and Dupree was signed by the LA Rams that year but his stay in the league didn't last long. He still wears his OU number 22 jersey when making special appearances for Crowbar Championship Wrasslin in Oklahoma. His second and final season in the usfl was. I was 19 years old at the time. Once he recovered, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL, but once again, suffered an injury and had to sit out for the first seven games. Marcus has had difficulty coping with the fact he cannot play college football until 1985 and has talked of the possibility of playing professional football, Jim Carmody, Southern Mississippis head coach, said in a New York Times article in 1984. He plays with the Rams and leads in rushing until 1992, when he is cut from the team. In his autobiography, Switzer devoted an entire chapter to Dupree, saying he regretted not getting to know him better. [Clarion-Ledger] On March 13, 2020, an article in the Jackson Mississippi newspaper Clarion-Ledger identified $104,974 in allegedly misappropriated TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) that was paid to Dupree for his role as a spokesperson for the charity Families First. What happened to marcus dupree little brother? White said his office found "limited evidence" Dupree or anyone else ever delivered those sorts of services to the needy. i wish i could do that.. I wish (Barry Switzer) would have treated me a little bit better, Dupree told OU Daily in 2010. Where Is Bryan Penn-Johnson from Last Chance U Season 2 Now? All rights reserved. This becomes something of a semi-common occurrence at Duprees games, and other high school teams try to adjust their strategies specifically to deal with him.By 1981, Dupree is known throughout Philadelphia and draws a great deal of attention to the football scene there. Texas and Oklahoma send their recruiters, Tommy Reaux and Lucious Selmon, to live in Philadelphia full-time until signing day. Fairley was by his side during the process. He said his message is simple. To date, six people have been indicted in the pending welfare fraud case. My signing bonus was $300,000. He returned to professional football in 1990, playing in 15 games over two seasons for the Los Angeles Rams before being waived prior to the 1992 season. Dupree and head coach Barry Switzer were at odds. "I advised Marcus to stay in school . Dupree was a standout in his freshman season at the University of Oklahoma in 1982, but his career was ultimately hampered by injuries. I thought I'dmake up the money somehow. But on Wednesday, Fairley said Dupree simply wanted to "play football" this year. Is Najee Harris Related to Pittsburgh Steelers Legend, Franco Harris? As a freshman in 1978, he scored five touchdowns as wide receiver and seven more as a kickoff and punt returner,[1] including a 75-yard kickoff return touchdown on his first play in high school. Dupree said he couldn't quantify how many times he mentored teens at his horse farm, but he says over the roughly two-year period he was paid by the state he also made 20 to 30 appearances working as a liaison for Families First, traveling Mississippi to speak in prisons and schools and recording radio commercials. By: Aliya Khan - Published: October 18, 2017 at 12:56 pm | Last Updated: The monthly lease payments for the property totaled $9,500, the audit states. Favre has denied wrongdoing. He uses this as an attempt to make a comeback, and he plays in a game against the Giants on November 11th, 1990, making his official NFL debut. Dupree's much-anticipated sophomore season did not turn out as planned. At Oklahoma, its not fun. The NCAA ruled that Dupree would have to miss one full season after transferring, meaning he would have to miss the rest of the 1983 season and all of 1984. Once he recovered, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL, but once again, suffered an injury and had to sit out for the first seven games. At one point in the game he suffers a terrible concussion from a tackle and is sidelined for the remainder of the game. Whatever Happened to Jim McMahon, the Punky QB of the Chicago Bears? It never reached the point that Dupree asked if he might be welcomed if he wanted to return to OU to play in the fall, though it turns out he would be athletically eligible if he could become scholastically eligible. He had two 100-yard rushing games. Obviously, since Dupree now has left the Southern Miss campus, which was within easy weekend driving distance of his hometown of Philadelphia, the problem wasn't that Switzer was too tough on him, or the "different" people of Oklahoma and the press made his life difficult. To meet the classroom requirements, however, Dupree would need to pass 24 more hours of work between now and September. Marcus Dupree, 1982. Credit: Newscom. Why do you have to check with him? Then it sort of hit me, Yeah, why do I always have to check with Ken if I want my own money?, My mama told Ken to his face one day, I may not be around to see it, but youre gonna get yours one day. I thought about that when that rainbow popped out. "I have a lawyer, and I'm just waiting to see how it all pans out," Dupree said. Who Is Kimmi Chex? Ultimately the knee injury prevented him from making enough of an impact and he was released by the Rams after the 91 season. ", Dupree decries Favre comparison in fraud case, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? Thirty years of anger and frustration were eased when Dupree, 52, learned that pastor Kenneth Fairley, once the star football running backs adviser and business manager, was found guilty Monday in a Hattiesburg courtroom on three counts of conspiracy and theft in a federal case involving money taken from a federal housing program. In October 2021, Dupree's lawyer, J. Matthew Eichelberger, sent a sharply worded letter to White. I can now answer 'yes' to that question, Dupree said. He feels an extra twinge of regret when the 1985 Oklahoma college team goes on to win the national championship.In the present-day, Dupree visits the house that once belonged to his deceased mother, combing through his old trophies and possessions. I can't wait until we go to court. However, he did not play college football again until 1985 after the NCAA ruled that. ). After suffering a concussion in a loss against Texas, he vanished for a week. He didn't have a step to lose to begin with so , he left deciding to try to rehab and play at a JUCO or small college which never happened . Three trades in a chaotic top five, NCAA panel eyes shorter football games in 2023, Ex-Vols staffers agree to show-cause penalties, UNC hires ex-Browns HC Kitchens as assistant, Syracuse QB Shrader to miss spring practice, Sources: Asst. However, his relationship with Switzer became increasingly strained. The reason Marquez did not stay or play was because he blew his knee apart during the 1st week of Fall camp . The title was The Best That Never Was, the moniker forever a noose around Dupree's neck.It all returned as I watchedthe speed and power and poetry of the way he ran; the willful puncturing of that by Barry Switzer in the . Dupree scored 87 touchdowns total during his playing time in high school, breaking the national high school record (set by Herschel Walker) by one. Marcus Dupree, who rose to fame in Mississippi and beyond after a brief but impressive football career that became the subject of an ESPN documentary, is speaking out about his alleged role in a sprawling welfare fraud case that has also entangled Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Brett Favre and dozens of others. I know I shouldnt have left [OU], but I still love Oklahoma and I still love watching [the Sooners] play.. In 2011, Dupree was diagnosed with prostate cancer but recovered. He also played an overbearing dad of a young football player in the film, Life at These Speeds. (This program contains audiovisual errors. The team gets off to a bad start, and Dupree suffers a leg injury during a game which takes him out of commission for a time. I had forgotten about Marcus Dupree.Until roughly a month ago, when I watched a brilliant documentary on ESPN that was conceived, written, and directed by Jonathan Hock. Producer: Fragmented Commitments. He had a quick, spectacular impact on Norman, and that fact did not help the relationship with his coach. He wanted me to sign with Southern (Mississippi). At the same time, Dupree comes to feel that he is being treated unfairly and is not being given the same privileges and benefits of the other players, such as preferential housing and monetary compensation. Dupree equates life to a football game and hes preaching something he didnt do while he was at Oklahoma. Man if she was here today I cant even imagine what Cella Ruth would be saying. Tamana Ali-bey 1964-1968. I didn't even know about that, nothing. I can only speak for Marcus. The superstar that he did not become and the man he is today are the subject of a new documentary airing. Although Dupree was big at 6' 2", 225 lbs., he was deceptively fast, agile and tough. I first heard about his legend a few years back and I've found it to be utterly captivating and fascinating. Dupree was placed on injured reserve, meaning he would have to sit out for four weeks before he could play for the Rams.[12]. My first paycheck was for $42,000. The small, somewhat isolated town of Philadelphia, Mississippi, has a history associated with the Civil Rights Movement as the site where three civil rights workers disappeared on June 21st, 1964, creating a national controversy when their bodies are discovered in a nearby dam. [8] He made his first start against Oklahoma State and scored two touchdowns. Dupree, the top high school prospect in the nation out of Philadelphia High School in the1982 signing class, has long contended Fairley took a large share of Duprees five-year, $6 million contract with the New Orleans Breakers in 1984. [7], When Dupree arrived at the University of Oklahoma in 1982, head coach Barry Switzer said, "He was the best player on the field. Prominent college football coaches turn up in person to speak to Dupree, and intense competition amongst them is expected. So we drove to Forest and met Ken Fairley. Bornon May 22, 1964, Marcus Dupree grew up in Philadelphia, Mississippi. He won the Big 8 Newcomer of the Year Award, was named to APs All-Big Eight First Team and UPI placed him on their All-Big Eight Second Team. He becomes a factor in the recruitment negotiations, and he advises Dupree to join the University of Southern Mississippi, as he feels they wanted him more and would do more than other schools to ensure his safety and success.In January 1982, Dupree narrows his choices down to three: Oklahoma, Texas, and Southern Mississippi. The five-bedroom, 4,100-square-foot home is valued at just over $1 million, according to the real estate website Zillow. 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