FOUR BITS: Rainey, Hill, ESPN 300, Demps

1 » Just a couple days after voicing his belief in the talent and potential of former Florida Gators running back Chris Rainey, Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano was forced to waive the player for non-football reasons. “You can see the athleticism, the burst, the speed,” he said Saturday. “He puts a foot in the ground and gets north and south.” Pagano is expected to address the situation after training camp on Monday, though it is doubtful that he will detail what specific conduct rule that Rainey violated. It will be the second time in as many offseasons that Rainey will be released by a team for non-football reasons. Just one year ago, Rainey was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers after an arrest for domestic violence, a charge that was later dropped and expunged from his record. The Steelers also had concerns about Rainey’s off-field activity including a gambling habit that affected him during his rookie season.

2 » Updating an item from Friday, former Gators safety Will Hill spoke with the media about being signed by the Baltimore Ravens, claiming once again that “everything is behind me” in terms of his marijuana use. “[I was] just being irresponsible,” he said, according to the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson. “Yeah, I feel like I’ve learned. I’m ready to play football. [The Ravens] talked to the [New York] Giants and they had nothing but good words to say about me.” Apparently Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome sat down with Hill and was assured that the player’s drug use – which has been an issue since he started playing at Florida – is now in the back window. “It was just getting comfortable with each other and letting him know that the things that happened before won’t be happening here,” Hill added. Though he will be able to practice with the team and play in preseason games, Hill will not be activated for the 2014 regular season until Oct. 13 as he must first serve a six-game suspension, his third for drug use (second for a substance of abuse) since being signed by the Giants three years ago.

3 » All four of the Gators’ seven 2015 commits ranked in the ESPN 300 remained as such when the latest iteration of the list was released on Monday, though each player fell a couple of slots in the new rankings. (Star ratings below via ESPN.)

72 4 – OT Jerome Baker (Cleveland, OH)
108 1 – OL Tyler Jordan (Jacksonville, FL)
147 2 – DB Derrick Dillon (Franklinton, LA)
221 5 – QB Sheriron Jones (Moreno Valley, CA)
NR – OL George Brown, Jr. (Cincinnati, OH)
NR – TE Camrin Knight (Tallahassee, FL)
NR – DT Andrew Ivie (Dade City, FL)

4 » Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Jeff Demps is gearing up for his first full, healthy season and looks to be performing well in training camp. Check out the Vine below from the Bucs of Demps catching the ball down the sideline and taking off for the end zone.