Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.The Omaha Nighthawks announced the signing of quarterback Eric Crouch at a press conference Tuesday morning at the Kroc Center.
Crouch, 32, participated in the Nighthawks' minicamp last month and expressed hope that he would be invited to training camp, which opens Friday at the Kroc Center.
“I'm here to help the team in any way I can win football games, and make everybody around me better,'' the former Nebraska quarterback said last month. “I think that's how we're going to operate this program.
“Obviously, I'm out here because I feel like I can still play the game. If I'm invited back, great. And if not, then I understand that it's probably time for me to move on.''
New coach Joe Moglia and his staff evidently believed that Crouch still has something to offer and offered him a contract.
Crouch was one of three quarterbacks who participated in the United Football League team's minicamp. The others were D.J. Shockley, who was on the roster in 2010 but was injured for much of the season, and Jeremiah Masoli, the former Oregon and Mississippi quarterback selected in the spring draft.
Crouch was a third-round draft pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2002, and he also spent time with two other National Football League teams. He has not played in a regular-season NFL game. He did see some playing time at quarterback in the Canadian Football League.
The Nighthawks formally begin their second season of operation with Friday's opening of camp. Players will begin reporting Wednesday and will undergo physicals Thursday. Omaha will begin the season under Moglia on Aug. 14 with a game at Sacramento.
The Nighthawks' first home game at TD Ameritrade Park is Aug. 21.
In other roster news, the Nighthawks have signed former Nebraska receiver Maurice Purify and punter Eric Wilburn of Florida.
Purify played in five NFL games with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2009. He spent most of the 2008 season on the Bengals' practice squad after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent.
Purify also has played in the Arena Football League with the Georgia Force, catching 123 passes for more than 1,500 yards.
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Video of Crouch being named a member of the Nighthawks team.
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