Jets Just Latest Stop for Poteat

The woman’s new gym membership came with a promise: You’ll be able to fit into your dream wedding dress in no time with the help of one of our trusted athletic trainers.
So, when she signed on the dotted line at Bally Total Fitness just outside Philadelphia, eager to shed a few pounds, the boss turned to one of the club’s newest, low-level trainers.

Hank Poteat at your service.

Long before the journeyman cornerback re-signed with the Jets three weeks ago after being released eight times in his nine-year career, Poteat was wearing a red t-shirt and nametag — “Hello, My Name is Hank” — whipping strangers into shape.

It was 2005.

Poteat, professional football player, was out of a job.

Again.

He kept a low-profile and never wore his Super Bowl ring to work, helping men and women of all shapes and sizes.

“I had a guy come in who was about 100 pounds and wanted to gain a whole lot of muscle,” Poteat, 31, said this week. “He came in at 6 or 7 o’clock at night and didn’t eat since breakfast. But he wanted to gain all this weight. He couldn’t even lift the bar.”

Standing under a brightly lit locker with his name on it, Poteat smiled at the memory. Somehow, his wild and wacky career that has included stints with the Steelers, Buccaneers, Panthers and Patriots found its way back here.

“I’ve seen so much,” he said. “You never know what might happen in this league.”

The Steelers selected Poteat — an All-Big East player at the University of Pittsburgh — in the third round of the 2000 draft. The 5-10, 195-pound cornerback, however, never lived up to expectations.

On August 31, 2003, he was cut for the first time.

It proved to be a seminal moment.

“That was the turning point,” Poteat said. “It was a life-changing experience for me. That’s when I really understood what I needed to do to be a pro. It opened my eyes.”

Poteat leaned on his faith.

Less than two months later, the Buccaneers signed him. He played in one game, registering three tackles on special teams.

Three weeks after Poteat arrived in Tampa, he was cut for the second time.

On Christmas Eve of the 2003 season — a little more than a month after the Buccaneers cut him — the Panthers signed him.

Poteat played two preseason games with Carolina in 2004 before agreeing to an injury settlement after breaking his thumb.

On Sept. 5, 2004, he was released for the third time.

A strange journey was about to get much stranger.

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