Those who know Bess best hope he can turn it around

Invariably before the morning sun could peek into Manoa or teammates and coaches trudged up the hill, a solitary figure could be seen on the dew-dampened University of Hawaii football practice field painstakingly catching passes from an automatic machine.

The early-morning labors were part of a solemn pact slot receiver Davone Bess had made with himself.

He would, Bess pledged, make a success of himself, whatever it took.

It was a mission that carried him from the despair of a 15-month sentence at the Orin Allen Rehabilitation Facility in Byron, Calif., to three record-setting years (2005-07) at UH, third-team Associated Press All-America honors and eventually a series of multi-million-dollar NFL contracts.

Which is what made the Broward County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office booking photo of Bess and accompanying headlines Friday so jolting.

The arrest on charges of assaulting a deputy, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest made for the latest and most curious chapter in a series of bizarre episodes surrounding the Cleveland Browns receiver.

And for those who know Bess’ life story beyond a wide swath he wrote in the UH record book, it is a troubling, if not tragic development.

Few players who have worn the UH uniform had so dedicated themselves to becoming as much a redemptive success as Bess.

Which is why, one after another, former coaches, from high school and college, including June Jones and Ron Lee, said the same thing Friday of the man painted by the allegations: "That’s not the Davone I know."

Raised in a largely single-parent home in Oakland, Bess immersed himself in sports but trouble found him when he answered a phone plea by some high school friends for a ride. Bess has said he was innocent of what they had been up to until police pulled them over and discovered a stash of stolen items.

As the driver, Bess bore the punitive brunt and it cost him a scholarship to Oregon State. But his high school coach, John Beam, and Keith Bhonapha, a UH graduate assistant, pleaded Bess’ case to Jones, who agreed to offer a second chance.

And Bess ran with it, not only catching more passes (293) and scoring more touchdowns (41) than anybody in UH history, but by becoming a positive example. On the practice field he led by preparation and perseverance. Off of it, he spoke to youth groups about making good choices.

Undrafted by the NFL, Bess made the Miami roster as a free agent. So eye-opening was Bess that teammate Brandon Marshall nicknamed him "D-Best."

When the 2011 lockout disrupted the season, Bess went to Central America and dug ditches for a relief agency. Back in Miami he started the Bess Route Foundation to help at-risk youth and his efforts earned a nomination for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

Then came a trade to Cleveland and a contract that was to pay him $11.5 million over four years.

This season, however, the usually sure-handed Bess began dropping passes. Twice pictures posted on his Twitter account appeared to be marijuana. Then, two games before season’s end, he was removed from the roster to manage family issues.

Now the hope is that the Bess Hawaii came to know somehow re-emerges.

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Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com. or 529-4820