Before the 49ers signed oft-troubled wide receiver Jerome Simpson in March, head coach Jim Tomsula placed a call to David Bennett.
Bennett was Simpson’s head coach at Coastal Carolina and he also has strong ties to Tomsula: Bennett was the head coach at Tomsula’s alma mater, Catawba College, from 1997-2001 when Tomsula was an assistant at the school.
So what did Bennett say when Tomsula asked about the wisdom of signing Simpson, 29, who has been arrested three times on marijuana- and/or alcohol-related charges since 2012 and served two three-game NFL suspensions?
“I said ‘It’s y’all’s call as an organization, but I would give him a chance,” said Bennett.