With a signature, Mike Edwards officially ended his Hawaii football career on Wednesday.
Edwards, a cornerback and kick returner, applied for the NFL Draft, ending any chance of returning to UH for his senior season.
Edwards filed from Cleveland, where he was born and raised. He canceled plans for a news conference, instead signing the papers in his family’s home.
Edwards said he is close to finalizing an arrangement with a Los Angeles-based sports agency.
He said he will train in Los Angeles, Arizona or Miami. He has been told he probably will be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis next month.
"It’s bittersweet, bro," Edwards said. "The hardest part is leaving Hawaii and the people who gave me the best opportunity anybody could get. It’s hard to leave my teammates who were counting on me to be there to lead them this year. That’s hard. I talked to (cornerbacks) Ne’Quan (Phillips) and Tony (Grimes), and it’s their time to step up."
Edwards arrived in Manoa in July 2011, more than a year and a half after being dismissed from the Tennessee football team following an arrest for attempted aggravated robbery. The charges eventually were dismissed.
"Going to Hawaii was the best experience of my life," Edwards said. "(UH) gave me a second opportunity. God blessed me to come to Hawaii. Not too many people get a chance to live in Hawaii and be around great people. That means a lot when you’re a kid from the inner city of Cleveland going far away. I’m going to miss the people there. I’m going to miss the relationships I built."
Edwards said he matured during his two UH seasons.
"That’s what I take a lot of pride in — growing as a person and growing as a man," Edwards said. "That’s what coach (Norm) Chow implemented. The man knows what he’s doing. He carries himself with a lot of integrity. He wants a lot of discipline. It only helps guys like myself become better men."
