Broken foot stalls Saunders at combine

INDIANAPOLIS | Weslye Saunders’ on-again, off-again relationship with the NFL Combine is off again.

During medical testing here, officials discovered Saunders had a broken foot, according to National Football Post. He participated in some physical drills Saturday but could not run the 40-yard dash.

“He tried to loose it up to run, but it was painful,” a source told National Football Post. “So, he decided not to run.”

That news comes one day after Saunders admitted lying to NCAA investigators and accepting gifts from a person in South Carolina who the NCAA classifies as an agent “runner.”

Saunders did not immediately return a message left by The State on his cell phone. Not being able to work out will be a big blow to his quest to prove to NFL personnel that his problems are behind him.

“It just keeps snowballing,” said National Football Post draft analyst Wes Bunting. “This was the one time he could get some momentum back, and he was kind of fleshy and soft when he showed up and now this. These things keep adding up. Teams don’t like that. I think if there was a chance for him to move up in the third or fourth round range, with him not working out here, it’s gone in my opinion.”

Saunders plans to attend South Carolina’s Pro Day on March 20, he said Friday.

“Yes, I will be there,” he said. “Coach (Steve) Spurrier allowed me to come back and I was very gracious for that.”

This story was originally published February 26, 2011 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Broken foot stalls Saunders at combine."