San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers did their homework before signing WR Jerome Simpson

Published May. 27, 2015 7:46 p.m. ET

foxsports

When the San Francisco 49ers signed wide receiver Jerome Simpson this offseason, it was met with a lot of skepticism because of his troubled past.

The 49ers made sure to gather all the facts about his character before deciding to pull the trigger. Head coach Jim Tomsula placed a call to Simpson's college coach at Coastal Carolina, David Bennett.

Simpson has been arrested three times since 2012. When Bennett talked to the San Francisco Chronicle about his conversation with Tomsula, he offered an encouraging outlook for the wide receiver.

“I said ‘It’s y’all’s call as an organization, but I would give him a chance,” said Bennett. “No question that he’s made mistakes, but I think he’s learned from them … He has to make great decisions from here on out in his life. He has to stay away from the wrong things and the wrong people. I hope his story ends tremendously.

“To me, it takes big guts for Jimmy and the 49ers to bring him in and give him a chance. A lot of people would day ‘No way.’ I know the real Jerome Simpson. He is a sweetheart of a guy who has a lot of talent.”

Tomsula was on board with signing Simpson because he believed he has learned from his past mistakes, but told the SF Chronicle that he will not get a second chance if he were to mess up again.

“He’s put himself in some situations,” Tomsula said. “There’s no hiding behind it. And he very clearly knows where we stand here. There’s no gray area for Jerome … He’s made stupid mistakes, right? I’m not politically correct: Idiotic mistakes. Dumb. He’s not a dumb guy, but the mistakes were. He’s a smart guy – he’s got a good head on his shoulders. It takes some people a little longer to grow up than others. Where he’s at right now, though, you feel really good about it.”

The 49ers hope this turns into a positive story and Simpson can wind up being a factor in their offense. Simpson seems ready to embrace the challenge to come in and work hard everyday.

“It’s no secret about my past. I told them straight up everything that’s happened. And they did a lot of homework on me. That’s my past. I have a clean slate and I’m just coming in here and working. I’m committed to not making the same mistakes,” said Simpson.

(h/t San Francisco Chronicle)