While the Stony Brook football team continues to prepare for their opening game on Thursday against Bryant, many of the team’s former players have been attempting to find stable ground in the world of professional football.
Stony Brook’s starting quarterback from last season, Lyle Negron, has signed a contract to play in France according to an Instagram post of his. He will be playing for Les Gladiateurs de La Queue-en-Brie in France’s second division come 2015.
Negron threw for 2,367 yards in his final year as a Seawolf, the second most for a season in the program’s history. He also threw for 17 touchdowns, including a record-tying 91-yard touchdown toss against Albany.
Michael Bamiro, a first team All-Big South in his final season at Stony Brook, spent last year on the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad after the same team released him from a three-year contract. Bamiro’s had to change his game to suit his coaches’ desires, moving to guard from his native offensive tackle position. Unfortunately for Bamiro, he was released in the first round of cuts prior to Tuesday’s deadline.
Over a year after Miguel Maysonet went undrafted, the former Seawolf is also fighting for a spot in the NFL. The 5-foot10-inch 210-pound halfback spent three seasons with the Seawolves after transferring from Hofstra, totalling 53 touchdowns in his Stony Brook career and winning Big South Offensive Player of the Year twice.
Maysonet spent this past season as a nomad, failing to find a steady home in the pros. After signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in April 2013, Maysonet was waived the following month and was picked up by the Cleveland Browns. A month later, the Browns too released him, which sparked a bevy of practice squad assignments for Maysonet. The Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets and Washington Redskins would all employ Maysonet to their practice squad by season’s end.
Things took a turn for the better as Maysonet was signed to a reserve/future deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers in January. A reserve/future contract is like any other, only it takes effect in the following season. Thus, Maysonet has been participating in Steelers camp, despite technically being signed last season.
Maysonet made his NFL debut on Aug. 9 in New York of all places, with the Steelers visiting the Giants in a preseason exhibition. Maysonet had two carries and picked up eight receiving yards on two catches.
Other former Seawolves that drew interest from NFL squads include defensive back Winston Longdon, who attended the Jets rookie camp back in May, and wide receiver Malcolm Eugene, who according to the National Football Post, worked out for the Oakland Raiders, Jets and Colts back in May.
Stony Brook has yet to see one of its alumni establish a regular role on an NFL team, but the program seems to be getting closer and closer to reaching that goal with each passing season.
