This Patriots Tryout Hopeful Has Stood Outside Gillette Stadium For A Month

Abiola Aborishade isn’t ready to give up on his NFL dream. In fact, he’s taking drastic measures to try to keep it alive.

Aborishade, who set records as a wide receiver at Division III UMass Dartmouth, now is trying to earn a tryout with the New England Patriots. That alone doesn’t make him unique, but here’s how he has gone about that task: By standing outside Gillette Stadium holding a sign and hoping the Patriots’ coaching staff takes notice. He has done this every day — since April 21.

Aborishade’s story is detailed in a feature by MassLive.com’s Kevin Duffy, who explains how the 6-foot, 194-pound wideout begins his day at 5:45 a.m., standing under the bridge at the intersection of Route 1 and Patriot Place, and holding a sign containing phrases like “Won’t Disappoint,” “Dream Chasing” and “Let Abi Spin.”

At this point, Aborishade says he knows most of the Patriots’ players, coaches and employees by their cars — head coach Bill Belichick arrives every morning at 6 a.m. on the dot. A few players — including cornerback Malcolm Butler, who recently shared a picture of Aborishade on Facebook — have stopped to chat with him.

Aborishade caught a school-record 84 passes as a senior in 2014 and finished his three-year career averaging 112 all-purpose yards per game. But he didn’t receive any NFL calls after college and started working at Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Norwood, Mass., where he goes after his morning stint at Gillette before returning to his post outside the stadium after his shift.

Aborishade says he was inspired by former NFL receiver Joe Anderson, who stood outside the Houston Texans’ NRG Stadium holding a similar sign and ended up signing with the New York Jets’ practice squad. Aborishade still is waiting on his chance, but he’s not giving up hope.

“There are a lot of talented people out there who haven’t been discovered yet, and that’s because they haven’t separated themselves from everyone else,” Aborishade told Duffy. “You have to put yourself out there — literally put yourself out there.”