Brandon Sutton doesn’t know the meaning of the word “quit.”
Throughout his life, there have been times when quitting would’ve been easy. As a senior at Greene Central High School, the big colleges didn’t come after him because he was deemed too small. But Catawba College took a chance on him — and it paid off handsomely for the Indians, who started him for three years on their defensive line.
His senior season at Catawba was supposed to be special — because of his insane work ethic, a growth spurt his freshman season and adding 85 pounds to his 6-foot, 2 1/2-inch frame that made him a hulking 295 pounds, he had earned his way onto several NFL draft lists.
But a devastating knee injury with four games left in his senior season robbed him of hearing his name called on Draft Day 2011 and of even being invited to an NFL camp.
Sutton worked his way back from that disappointment to make the roster of a Professional Indoor Football League team in 2012, only to not play in the team’s first game of the season. But the Richmond Raiders coaching staff saw a spark in Sutton and before the 2012 season was over, Sutton became the team’s defensive star and he was named to the all-league team.
Monday, he leaves again for Richmond to begin his second season for the Raiders. He’s fresh off an encouraging tryout for an Arena Football League squad (the top level of indoor football) and ready to prove he’s ready for the next step after that — a chance to play in the NFL.
He’s not going to quit.
THE INJURY
Following his sterling prep career at Greene Central, which ended with him being named the defensive MVP of the East-West Game in Greensboro, he became a star at Catawba.
“He was the hardest worker I had at Greene Central and was a natural leader,” Former GC coach and current Havelock coach Jim Bob Bryant said on Saturday. “He always had a smile on his face and loved playing the game of football. When you love the game and play as hard as he does, good things are going to happen.”
Sutton had even worked his way into possibly being drafted by an NFL team in 2011. That hope died, though, in a midseason game. While sacking the quarterback at Wingate University, he snapped two ligaments in his left knee and didn’t play another minute of college football.
NFL scouts who had been coming to Catawba games and practices stopped visiting.
“As soon as I got hurt, the scouts ran away,” Sutton said. “When I wasn’t able to play those last four games, the phone calls quit coming and it hurt my stock.”
The 24-year-old said he learned valuable lessons in those painful months in 2011.
“It has taught me that everyone who smiles in your face is not your friend,” said Sutton, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Catawba. “I had a million friends in 2011 when I was high on the draft board. After the injury, everyone started shying away.”
MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION
Two things motivate and inspire Sutton: his faith in God and his beautiful 6-year-old daughter, Taki’yah Marie.
“I never needed motivation, because my daughter — from Day 1 — has been my motivation,” Sutton said. “I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t need a friend to tell me what I need to do to get where I need to be. I know if I take a day off, that might be the day my daughter don’t eat.”
He admits he misses her when he’s three hours away in Richmond, but he knows pursuing his dream will ultimately help her. He said he made certain she attended every one of his home games last year. While he’s away, Sutton said Taki’yah is taken care of alternately by Sutton’s mother and Taki’yah’s mother.
“It’s a little depressing sometimes, but I have a million pictures on my phone and we talk all the time on the phone,” Sutton said. “As long as she’s happy, I’m going to keep pushing.”
Raiders assistant coach Joe Valvoda has seen Sutton’s love for his daughter up close.
“His No. 1 priority is his daughter,” Valvoda said. “She was the first thing he brought up when we talked the first time and she is his life. He really values his family and that’s what we really want in our locker room.”
His family — many of whom attend his home games in Richmond, including his parents, Glenda and Isaac Koonce — also keep him driving towards his dream.
“As long as I have that initial family backing me up, it pushes me forward,” Sutton said. “When they’re supporting me, I just simply feel like I can’t fail.”
A NEW GAME
Arena football is a different breed of sport. It’s 8-on-8, fast-paced and played on 50-yard fields in indoor arenas all over the nation. The PIFL is one of the minor leagues of the sport, with the well-established Arena Football League being the “major league” of the genre.
“There’s a lot of impact; there’s no out-of-bounds, so you’re either going to get hit into the wall or take a tackle,” Sutton said. “The field’s only 50 yards long and it’s made of Astroturf, so if you fall, you will burn up your skin. It makes for a really bad feeling when you shower at night.”
It didn’t take Sutton long to make an impact on the team last year.
“He took a back seat early, but when he had his chance to play, he was impressive,” Raiders head coach James Fuller said. “On a scale of 1 to 10, he went from a 5 to an 8 just like that.”
Fuller said he made a point of trying to get Sutton back on his squad this season, if he were available.
“His progress last year showed what we want to do as a team,” Fuller said. “He really showed extreme progress as the season wore on. His mentality and his focus make him a role model. I want our rookies and younger players to look up to him and see that’s what we’re all about.”
After not playing in the first game of the season, Sutton became one of the PIFL’s dominant defenders. Billy Jarvis, the team’s defensive coordinator, said Sutton came to practice every day anxious to learn the indoor football game.
Valvoda also credited Sutton’s leadership for his success — the Raiders eventually finished 11-3 and lost in the league’s championship game.
“He truly cares about the team; he wants to do well, but he wants the team to do well,” Valvolda said. “We’re in a situation where guys could be out for themselves and trying to get what they can but Brandon wants to win and he wants everyone to do well.”
Winning the PIFL championship is important to Sutton.
“Redemption is the biggest thing on my mind going into this season,” Sutton said. “I’m looking forward to coming back and anchoring the defense.”
THE NEXT LEVEL
Two weeks ago, Sutton attended a tryout for the AFL’s Philadelphia Soul, a workout in which he said Philadelphia Eagles scouts were also present. Although he didn’t make the Soul roster, he said he’s working hard to get an invitation to the Eagles training camp in July.
“I’ve got to get to Richmond and perform from Day 1,” Sutton said. “There are no days off again.”
Sutton has his eyes on a bigger prize, too.
“My goal is to be in the NFL by the end of this year,” Sutton said. “I have to go out and beyond my normal workouts and I have to keep God first. If I keep Him first, anything is possible.”
Sutton has a lot of people pulling for him.
“I’d love to see him get his shot and then shine in the AFL, CFL or the NFL,” said Fuller, who has named Sutton a Raiders captain this year. “It’s all about timing and I think he’s doing the right things to get there. He’s doing all the right things in the offseason to make his dreams come true.”
Chappriel M. Pitt is a personal trainer in Kinston who has been working Sutton hard in preseason workouts. Pitt is impressed with his student.
“He’s been gung ho with everything I challenge him with,” Pitt said. “He goes 110 percent every day. Whoever you line up in front of him, he’s going to tear them down and kick their butt. He plays a gladiator position — my manhood against your manhood. My money is on Brandon all day, every day.”
Whatever happens in his quest for pro football fame, Sutton said he will return to Eastern North Carolina.
“If football is not in my future, I really feel like I can come back here and give back to Kinston and Snow Hill,” Sutton said. “Role models are needed here now more than ever. … Kids need someone to look up to, to know that we came from the same place. I want to teach them, with my life, that you can be successful if you keep pushing.”
Bryan C. Hanks can be reached at 252-559-1074 or at Bryan.Hanks@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at BCHanks and check out his blog at bhanks.encblogs.com.