现在距安德烈·华兹沃斯（Andre Wadsworth）上次现身NFL已经过去了7年之久，而距其声称不再参赛也已经过去了6年。

　　然而此刻他正站在纽约喷气机队的场边，手持头盔，等待着他的下一场比赛。在经历了13次膝部手术之后，华兹沃斯已经恢复了健康，完全有能力竞争喷气机队外线卫的位置。

　　华兹沃斯曾是佛罗里达州立大学的明星，并且在1998年选秀中以第3顺位被亚利桑那红雀队挑中。然而由于受到膝伤的困扰，他在随后的3个赛季中只代表红雀队出战了36场。

　　2001赛季，红雀队提前3年结束了当初与华兹沃斯签订的为期6年、价值4210万美元的合同，将其解雇。当时医学专家们曾断言他不可能再参加比赛。

　　华兹沃斯在短暂的职业生涯中完成了119次拦截、8次擒杀、3次抢夺丢球和一次从唐恩·马利诺（Dan Marino）手中的截球。华兹沃斯乐于改写这些统计数字。

　　在5个多赛季告别赛场之后，华兹沃斯的膝伤终于逐渐好转。不过他不得不与至少32名季前花名册上的球员展开竞争。在华兹沃斯最后一次在NFL比赛时，这些球员甚至还没有进入大学。

　　如果华兹沃斯加盟喷气机队，他将继查德·潘宁顿（Chad Pennington）之后，成为又一位备受关注的联盟复出球员。

　　华兹沃斯已经习惯克服重重困难。在被告知不可能在I区学校打球之后，他走入了佛罗里达州立大学校队。在被告知无法继续参赛之后，他在加盟米尔诺人队的第一年就担任首发。在得知不可能在尖峰的位置上有所突破之后，他改打防守端锋，并且在首轮选秀中就被挑中。

　　华兹沃斯仍然身形强壮，没有人能够猜到他已经离开赛场多年。在退役的日子里，他购买了6家汽车销售店--宝马、保时捷和大众--两家在佛罗里达州的盖恩斯维尔，3家在奥卡拉，另外一家在德斯廷。

　　尽管NFL经历了多个没有华兹沃斯的赛季，但是他对橄榄球运动的热情却从未消失。

　　华兹沃斯最初在NFL担任防守端锋的日子并不顺利，但是他随后转而担任喷气机队的外线卫，位置的变化为他开辟了一片新的天地。

　　他很高兴能够重返赛场："我终于等到了这一天，我需要吸取很多东西。就像是用消防龙头喝水，我正在学习将嘴张得更大一点。"

原文 

HEMPSTEAD， N.Y. (June 2， 2007) —— Nearly seven years have passed since Andre Wadsworth last appeared in the NFL， and six since he was told he would never play again.

Yet there he was on the New York Jets' sideline， helmet in hand， awaiting his next set of plays. After 13 knee operations， Wadsworth is healthy enough to compete for an outside linebacker position with the Jets.

"I love football，" Wadsworth， 32， said after a voluntary team workout. "Why do people think it's crazy to do this？ I know in life you can be a businessman or whatever you want to do after football. You can do it until you die. But in football， you can't do it until you die." Wadsworth， you may remember， was a Florida State star and the No. 3 overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1998 draft. Hampered by knee problems， he appeared in just 36 games for the Cardinals in three seasons.

In 2001， Arizona opted to not pick up the last three years of his six-year， $42.1 million contract and released him. The odds seemed stacked against him when medical professionals said he'd never play again.

"Every doctor said it，" Wadsworth said. "I mean， every doctor." During his brief pro career， he racked up 119 tackles， eight sacks， three fumble recoveries and one interception —— off Dan Marino. He'd love to add to those numbers.

"Even though I officially retired and I never could play again because of my injuries， I never put it out of my mind，" Wadsworth said. "My agent and everybody knew I'd never put it out of my mind. The only way it'll ever get out of my mind is if I was 40 …… or maybe 37 or 38." That gives Wadsworth， whose knees "are coming along，" at least five seasons to make it all the way back. But he's competing against at least 32 players on the Jets' preseason roster who weren't even in college when Wadsworth played his last down in the NFL.

If he makes the team and plays， Wadsworth would be a heavy favorite to follow Chad Pennington as the league's comeback player of the year.

"It's not about proving wrong，" he said. "You've got to believe in miracles. It's about being blessed and making the impossible happen." Wadsworth is familiar with overcoming obstacles. Told he couldn't play at a Division I school， he walked on to the Florida State team. Told he'd never see any playing time， Wadsworth became a starter after his first year with the Seminoles. Informed he couldn't play nose tackle at the next level， he moved to defensive end and was a first-round draft pick.

"In life， you can't take no for an answer，" he said. "Call me stubborn or not， but that's the way I live my life." Wadsworth appears in terrific shape， and one would never guess he hasn't played football in years. During retirement， he bought six car dealerships —— BMWs， Porsches and Volkswagens —— with two shops in Gainesville， Fla.， three in Ocala and one in Destin.

"When we talked to him， it was almost a case of trying to talk him out of coming back，" Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "The guy has a very successful business. He's done very well in terms of setting up the next phase of his life.

"This is something that he was determined to try. In interviewing him and getting to know him， he was so impressive that as much as we tried to scare him off and get him to reconsider， he was too determined." NFL seasons came and went without Wadsworth， but his passion for the sport never wavered.

"The itch has never left. It's just like a cast， an itch in your cast that you can't scratch，" he said. "That's what I have. I couldn't scratch it because I was hurt.

"There's a lot of rust to get off. It feels good to be with the guys， the coaches， be in the locker room， the camaraderie —— the whole thing." Wadsworth was a defensive end in his first stint in the NFL， but he's setting up at outside linebacker for the Jets. The position change has given him a different perspective.

"I've never stood up before，" he said of the crouch used on the defensive line. "In college， I probably stood up 1 percent of the time on zone blitzes. Here， I'm standing up …… 80 percent of the time. That's a big difference， seeing the field." Crouching or standing， Wadsworth is glad to be playing again.

"I take it one day at a time，" he said. "It's a lot of stuff to absorb. It's like drinking out of a fire hydrant since I've been here， and I'm learning to open my mouth bigger."