Hartford Colonials Sign Three Players; Release Two
May 25, 2011 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Hartford Colonials News Release
EAST HARTFORD, CT - May 25, 2011 - The Hartford Colonials signed NFL veteran defensive backs Antwain Spann and Geoffrey Pope, and rookie defensive end Craig Marshall to contracts for the 2011 United Football League season. Terms were not disclosed.
The team also released defensive tackle Adrian Grady and offensive lineman Rueben Riley.
Spann, a safety, has played in 19 regular season games with the New England Patriots over three seasons (2006-08) and appeared in three playoff games. He has also spent time in training camps with the New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos.
Spann (5-10, 195), was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent in May 2005 and released at the end of training camp before joining the Patriots in January. He made his NFL debut Oct. 1, 2006, and had two tackles in New England's 38-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pope, a cornerback, has played in 12 regular season games with Cincinnati in 2008-09 and one contest with Philadelphia in 2009. He made his NFL debut with the Giants during their playoff run that culminated with a victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. He spent the 2010 preseason with the Eagles.
Pope (5-11, 190) signed a free agent contract with the Dolphins following the 2007 NFL Draft. He was among the final round of cuts in training camp. After signing with the Giants, Pope spent the 2007 regular season on the team's practice squad before being activated for the playoffs. He played in a victories over Dallas in a divisional round game Jan. 13 and Green Bay in the NFC Championship the following week.
Prior to signing with the Colonials, Marshall (6-4, 265) participated in an open player tryout May 21 in Tyrone, Ga. He played at the University of South Florida the last three years (2008-10), registering 73 tackles with nine sacks in 32 games (14 starts). As a senior in 2010, he started eight of nine games and missed four with an injury. His three sacks Oct. 9 against Syracuse were the most ever by a USF player in a conference game (Big East/C-USA).
Grady played in seven games with Hartford in 2010, and had 10 tackles with one sack and a forced fumble. Riley appeared in three games, all starts, and was placed on the Reserve/Injured list Oct. 18.
The Colonials have 52 players under contract for 2011.
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