The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net The 2012 National Football League (NFL) season will mark the beginning of a new chapter on the gridiron for Myron Rolle as he looks to join a perennial AFC contender. Rolle has been signed to a futures contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, his second franchise in three years. The former Florida State Seminoles safety turned Rhodes scholar, who revealed the signing in early February via Twitter, failed to make the Tennessee Titans' 53-man roster. Signing with the Steelers this early in the offseason process will give Rolle an opportunity to go through a full offseason conditioning programme with the club. The early signing will also allow him to become acclimatized with the team's defense heading into training camp. The Steelers have gone to work, getting under the salary cap in preparation for free agency and the draft. They have released future Hall of Famer Hines Ward, linebacker James Farrior, wide receiver Arnaz Battle, offensive lineman Chris Kemoeatu and defensive back Bryant McFadden. Past players that the Steelers have signed to futures contracts included return specialist Stefan Logan, defensive back Ryan Mundy and running back Isaac Redman. Alongside Rolle, the Steelers have signed several other players to futures contracts, including Chris Scott (offensive line), Corbin Bryant (defensive line), Jamie McCoy (tight end) and Antonio Smith (defensive back). When a player is signed to "reserve/futures," contracts are signed for the upcoming season even though that season does not officially begin until the official start of the league's new year as outlined by the NFL. Players are eligible if they were not on any NFL team's active roster when the previous season ended. If they were under contract, then they would remain so until the league's new year starts. Players who were on practice squads at the end of the season, like Rolle, are eligible to sign with any team. Rolle has a degree in medical anthropology and plans to pursue medicine at the end of his football career. Proud of his Bahamian heritage, he plans to open The Myron L Rolle Medical Clinic and Sports Complex - a free health services clinic in Steventon, Exuma. During the last offseason, he joined former US president Bill Clinton on a trip to Congo to participate in a Clinton Global Initiative Leadership Programme to assist displaced refugees in the area. As a rookie defensive back, Rolle signed an endorsement deal with Reebok to represent the brand with a number of other noteworthy athletes, including Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Vince Young, Chad Ochocinco and Santonio Holmes. Rolle was taken by the Tennessee Titans as the 38th pick in the sixth round of the NFL draft - the 207th overall pick. The former top high school recruit and member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity became a global figure when he decided to leave football for a year to pursue his Rhodes scholarship opportunity in Oxford, England. While his decision was heavily scrutinized by analysts, scouts and coaches across the country, Rolle was granted an opportunity to prove critics wrong when the Titans made the selection in the 2010 draft.