“I was doing some extra work after practice,” recalled Kalu, a defensive end from Rice. “I was trying to do a rip move on another player who stayed after with me and I ended up breaking my thumb. And being a rookie and being underweight, I had to try to play and be effective with a thumb cast. It set me back.
“But I’m not about excuses. I was given a lot of opportunities, especially as a fifth-round pick, but, yeah, (the injury) did stop my growth my rookie year.”
Appearing in just three games that season, Kalu was released late in the 1998 Training Camp and signed by Washington.