Hall of Fame running back Leroy Kelly Sr. has a son who plays football. And Leroy Kelly Jr. will get another chance next week to win a roster spot on the team for which his dad played.
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Browns will give Kelly a tryout on Monday.
It’ll be the second time that Kelly has had an audition with the Browns. He got his first look-see in 2008.
Kelly, 27, plays safety and returns kicks. “I’m very, very excited,’' he said. “Especially because it’s the Cleveland Browns. It would mean a lot to me if they kept me around, and it would definitely mean a lot to my dad. . . . If they brought me into training camp, he’d probably do a back a flip at the age of 72.”
Kelly has played in the Arena Football League and the German Football League. He says that he runs the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds. He also had a tryout last year with the Lions.
“I recently got the call from the Browns that they wanted to bring me in for a closer look,’' Kelly said. “I’m not sure what position they have in mind. I can play safety, I can play running back and I can return kicks. If they want me to run to the light post and back, I’ll do that. Anything they want.’'
It’s a neat story, and the Browns can afford to give the 90th spot on the roster to the son of one of their all-time greats. Though it’s easy to say that, if he truly had what it takes, Kelly would have at least made it to a training cam at some point before his 27th birthday, there’s a chance that, if he ever gets a chance to compete at the highest level of the sport, he’ll find a way to step up to the challenge.