There is no telling what kind of scouting grade Abiola Aborishade would draw from the New England Patriots if he actually got the tryout he's looking for.
But the box for persistence would be checked before he even put his cleats on.
The former wide receiver from UMass Dartmouth has been logging hours outside Gillette Stadium for more than a month, asking for a tryout with a poster-board display, according to The Springfield Republican. On a basis regular enough that he can now recognize passing cars owned by coach Bill Belichick, director of player personnel Nick Caserio and others as they arrive for work, Aborishade awaits his chance with a poster that reads, in part: "Talented, hard-working athlete hoping for a chance to prove myself."
What's missing from the poster is an impressive resume, albeit one that came from the Division III level of NCAA football. He caught 84 passes, a school record, as a senior in 2014, and participated in an NFL Regional Combine in 2015.
According to The Rebublican, after emigrating from Nigeria with his mother as a youngster, Aborishade tested out of the fourth grade and was only 16 as a senior at Attleboro (Mass.) High. He attended college for two years before joining the team at UMass Dartmouth, where he played for three seasons.
The Republican posted video of an interview with Aborishade on Sunday:
Aborishade estimated he's spent 130 hours trying to get his chance, between work shifts at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Patriots security has required him to move further away from the stadium since his quest began, but he remains undeterred. He said he once worked security for the Patriots himself, in the summer of 2013, as a parking lot attendant.
Aborishade said Patriots players Jordan Richards, Rob Ninkovich and Malcolm Butler have stopped to speak with him. Butler took to Facebook with some encouraging words and a photo he snapped of Aborishade from his car. Club owner Robert Kraft has waved to him on his way in, Aborishade said.
"A lot of people have a Plan B," he told the Republican. "I don't really believe in Plan Bs."
Or in giving up.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
