KaVontae Turpin, a former TCU wide receiver who has never been on an NFL team in large part because of a domestic violence conviction from 2019, is the Most Valuable Player of the USFL.
The USFL announced its postseason awards today, and Turpin got the top honor after leading the league in both receiving yards and punt return average. Turpin’s coach on the New Jersey Generals, Mike Riley, was named coach of the year, while Generals running back Darius Victor was named offensive player of the year. Houston Gamblers defensive end Chris Odom was named defensive player of the year.
Turpin showed this season that he has talent, but that was never in doubt. He was an explosive playmaker at TCU who looked good in pre-draft workouts.
The reason Turpin was undrafted and didn’t sign as a free agent is that he was kicked off the team at TCU following a domestic violence accusation during the 2018 season, and he pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily injury and was sentenced to two years’ probation in 2019.
Now Turpin has given NFL teams a reminder of his talent. Whether there’s an NFL team that will look past his domestic violence case and invite Turpin to training camp remains to be seen.
