Someone played a cruel trick on a former Austin Peay player, who was turned away Wednesday at the Falcons’ security gate.

Juantarius Bryant received a text from a 404 area code cellphone, alleging to be Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees, inviting him to a tryout with the team. Once he arrived at the facilities for the rookie minicamp, he found out the text was fake.

Bryant, a first-team all-Ohio Valley Conference cornerback in 2019, shared the story of his plight Saturday on social media.

Bryant called the incident “heartbreaking,” but one he wasn’t “afraid to admit or overcome.”

The Falcons felt bad for the player, but did not want to comment on the situation.

In years past, the Falcons probably would have had a scout work the player out and gave him some gear. But the league mandated that teams only have five tryout players this season because of pandemic protocols.

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