On April 20, 2003, only three days before the NFL draft, he was shot in the back in an apparent gang-related shooting when he and his friend were mistaken for gang members by the Du Roc Crips.
[3] He survived and recovered from the shooting, but his injuries took longer than expected to heal and he only played in four games his rookie season.
The first sign that he might recover was when he was still supposedly unconscious and was visited by Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.
It was reported by ESPN that doctors cleared him to resume work on May 17, 2006, and Weathersby announced plans to attempt a comeback to the NFL.
[4] In March 2008, he stated that he did not want to put himself at risk for a hit that could reverse the damage, as well as a desire to "follow God's will" and stepped away from professional football.