Former Washington Commanders running back Derrius Guice auditioned for NFL scouts at the HUB Football Camp in California in hopes of launching a comeback after since-resolved legal issues and past knee injuries derailed his career. Guice, 24, a former record-setting running back at LSU and second-round 2018 NFL Draft pick, is immediately eligible to sign an NFL contract.
Derrius Guice has impressed at the HUB Football Camp
By all accounts, including videos of the workout, Guice excelled in drills, was in outstanding shape, and displayed a positive demeanor in his interactions with staff and other participants.
“Derrius came in with a great attitude and a lot of energy,” said Mike Williams, the general manager of HUB Football. “He was engaging with other players and the coaches and demonstrated that he can catch the ball well out of the backfield.”
Guice last played in an NFL game in 2019. He rushed for 245 yards and 2 touchdowns in five games and one start, catching 7 passes on 9 targets for 79 yards and 1 touchdown.
Peter von Gontard, an agent for Young Money APAA Sports and the grandson to Anheuser-Busch Founder, August A. Busch Jr., expressed confidence that Guice is ready to resume his football career.
“Derrius is a natural-born athlete, leader, and competitor, currently in peak shape and at the top athleticism of his career,” von Gontard said. “He has unfortunately been delayed in his career proving his innocence, as has been the case with other athletes. We were grateful for the opportunity to showcase his incredible talents at The Hub Camp and now look forward to his return to the NFL.”
Since its inception in 2019, a total of 533 players have suited up at a HUB Football Camp. 141 have gone on to sign professional contracts for a 26.4% success rate. Several of those 141 players have signed with more than one team, resulting in a net total of 185 contracts signed by HUB Football alums.
Former record-setting running back
At LSU, Guice became the first player in Southeastern Conference history to rush for 250 or more yards three times. After initially backing up Leonard Fournette and rushing for 436 yards and 3 scores as a true freshman, he stepped in for an injured Fournette and rushed for 285 yards against Texas A&M to set the school’s single-game rushing record.
He had a record-setting 96-yard touchdown run and 252 rushing yards overall against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Louisiana native was a first-team All-SEC selection, rushing for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdown runs. He rushed for 1,251 yards and 11 scores in 2018. He’d finish his career with 3,074 rushing yards and 29 touchdown runs.
Legal issues, knee injuries derailed Guice’s NFL career
Guice dealt with knee injuries, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament as a rookie in Washington in 2018.
Washington released Guice on Aug. 7, 2020, two hours after police charged him with crimes related to domestic violence and destruction of property. When the charges were dropped in 2021, including a felony charge, with the four remaining misdemeanor charges dropped following an undisclosed settlement between Guice and a former girlfriend, the NFL suspended Guice for six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
LSU later disassociated from Guice and removed his statistics from their record books. This happened after accusations of LSU’s mishandling of allegations of sexual misconduct from him during his college career. Guice has repeatedly denied those allegations.
Under Virginia law, charges can be dropped if an alleged victim states in writing they were satisfied with the settlement. Furthermore, the commonwealth attorney’s office stated that the “process permits the parties to control the direction and outcome of such matters.”
In a joint statement released by their attorneys at the time, Guice and the woman said: “They both have worked very hard toward a resolution of their relationship. They both wish that the other, now and in the future, does well and that both can move on from this difficult process.”