In an effort to keep William ”the Refrigerator” Perry away from his own fridge, the Bears will insert a weight clause in their top draft pick`s contract.
Perry doesn`t object. ”People have always talked about my weight,” he said Tuesday. ”I weighed 15 pounds at birth, I think. I was always 50 pounds heavier than any kid in my class.”
Coach Mike Ditka and player personnel director Bill Tobin are certain that Perry`s football performance suffered when he ballooned to 360 pounds last season. During his Clemson career, he was good enough to break Randy White`s NCAA record with 27 tackles for losses.
”No guts, no glory,” said Tobin before Perry arrived in Lake Forest.
”No question this pick involves some risk.”
Encouragingly, the loose fit of Perry`s size-60 jacket–especially around his midsection–was evidence of the 40-odd pounds he says he has dropped since the Hula Bowl in mid-January.
”I`m down to one meal,” said Perry. ”I run three or four miles a day, play roundball, pump iron and watch my weight. I weighed 319 today. I can control my weight. No more bread or cheeseburgers. I`ll get to 300 or 295 or whatever the Bears want.”
Ditka believes several NFL teams backed away from Perry because of his weight, but ”I`ve been locked into Perry for four days,” he said. ”My mind`s been made up.
”The Vikings, the Packers, Tampa Bay, Detroit, they`ll all have to block our guy. I know we`ve got the strongest. He`ll give them headaches. They`ll remember his name.”
