| 3/17/2007 9:00:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| MOVING ON: Former Hanover quarterback Brett Dietz (above and below) has signed with the Kansas City Brigade of the AFL. He played for Louisville of the afl2 last season. (Courier file photos) |
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Dietz's off-season odyssey lands him with AFL's Brigade
Courier Sports Staff
Brett Dietz's off-season has taken him through five cities in two weeks but the former Hanover College star has finally found a home for the 2007 season.
Released by the Arena Football League champion Chicago Rush two weeks ago, Dietz has had tryouts with three teams - including the NFL's Buffalo Bills - and has signed twice before landing with the AFL's Kansas City Brigade Thursday.
Dietz, a 2004 Hanover grad and native of Villa Hills, Ky., played quarterback for the Louisville Fire last season, earning arena football league2 Rookie of the Year honors. That success prompted him to sign with the Rush in November.
But Dietz was cut by the Rush on the last day before the season, and since he was still under contract with the afl2, the league assigned him to Spokane.
That's when Kansas City entered the picture. The Brigade informed Dietz over the weekend that they were working on a trade to acquire him but when the quarterback heard nothing by Monday, he assumed he was staying in Spokane.
Things happened quickly after that.
"I woke up on Monday morning thinking I was flying to Spokane at 6:45 that night," Dietz said. "I got a call at noon from Kansas City saying that the trade was going through, and they wanted me to come out on practice squad for a few weeks to see if I could take over as backup. So then I decided that I was going to do that. Then, 30 minutes later, I got a call from the Buffalo Bills saying that they were going to pay for me to come out and workout for them. So, I decided that I was going to do that so I had three different plans on Monday on where I was going."
Dietz eventually worked out for the Bills and will know by Monday whether the team is interested. In the meantime, he is headed to Kansas City's practice squad with the possibility of moving into the team's back-up role.
"I threw the ball well and I was happy about how I performed," Dietz said of his tryout with the Bills. "There were only 10 guys there and all of them had NFL experience. Mostly running backs and I was the only QB. So it was a good deal."
The Brigade marks the third AFL team Dietz has signed with in his brief professional career. He was a member of Tampa Bay's practice squad last season before signing with the Fire.
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Reader Comments
Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Article comment by:
Jim Robinson
The Tampa Bay Storm Acquired Brett from the Brigade late last week. He will come in as the back up quarterback and make his AFL debut this Sunday against the Columbus Destroyers. The game will be televised in Columbus.
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