Sometimes a tattoo works better than a ring. It’s saving money for Trevor Reilly anyway.
Credit: Kristian Dyer, Metro
It common to see an NFL player with a tattoo — in fact it is a rare thing to see a player who isn’t inked up. But Jets seventh-round pick Trevor Reilly’s one and only tattoo is a matter of necessity.
Married since Sept. 4, 2011, Reilly recently got a tattoo of his wife’s initials on his left hand where his wedding band would go. The letters “JKR” for Jessica Kristie Reilly are prominent — a necessity because of his own absent minded ways, he says. Turns out, he misplaced his wedding ring on more than one occasion.
“This is so I don’t have to wear a ring anymore, I got my wife’s initials,” Reilly said. “I’ve been against tattoos my whole life but [I] started losing wedding rings.”
But the number of times he’s lost his ring is the shocking part.
“Five, and I bent one one-time because I forgot to take it off. I told my wife, ‘I’m getting tatted up’ and she said ‘Fine by me’,” Reilly said. “I told her before I got married, ‘Don’t buy anything nice.’ She bought me some $50 ring. I said, ‘Perfect, I will probably lose it.’ Three months later, it was gone. Then I went on eBay and started buying $3 rings.”
It is the latest chapter in the book of Reilly, a life full of ups and downs.
He lost his younger brother in a motorcycle accident when both were younger. Then two years ago, his daughter Shayn was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Even though she is now in the clear, he admits it took a toll on him. He also played the entirety of the 2012 season for Utah on a torn ACL, an injury he said no longer impacts him.
After the first day of rookie minicamp on Friday, head coach Rex Ryan said Reilly “really fit the profile we’re looking for.”
“He’s a mature guy,” Ryan said. “As he told us all today, he was an All-American — honorable mention.”
Jets notes …
It was a tough day for sixth-round pick quarterback Tajh Boyd, who struggled with his accuracy and ball placement. Mechanically, he shows a troublesome, elongated throwing motion. The wet conditions didn’t seem to affect him too much as he still threw a tight spiral. Despite his being drafted, he could be in a tight competition for the No. 3 job with Matt Simms this summer.
Wide receiver Shaq Evans, taken in the fourth round out of UCLA, had a bad day with his hands even before the weather got wet. He also rounded off a number of his routes and looked raw.
Markus Zusevics had a good day at right tackle. He looked strong with his upper body but needs to continue to leverage his lower body for more strength. He tore a pectoral muscle during the bench press at last year’s NFL Combine and missed the rest of the event. He spent last year on injured reserve with the Patriots but looks like an intriguing prospect.
Tryout player Mike Willie ran some good routes at wide receiver and caught the ball well with his hands, rarely using his body.
Tight end Jace Amaro had an outstanding day. While his blocking needs some work, the second-round pick attacked the ball well and ran good routes. He’s looking like he could be a No. 1 at tight end sooner rather than later.
Fourth-round pick wide receiver Jalen Saunders is as speedy and shifty as advertised. He said the Jets haven’t told him if they want him in the slot or not, but he has the look and elusiveness of a playmaker when the ball is in his hands.
Tevrin Brandon, a tryout player from Monmouth, made a tremendous leaping play to snag a deep interception on a pass from Boyd. The cornerback tested very well at his pro day and possesses off the charts athleticism.
The Jets cut nose tackle Tevon Conrad on Friday.
“He didn’t pass the physical,” Ryan said. “That was the extent of it.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
