Patriots’ Tyrone Poole is struggling to balance family versus football.

FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) – Cornerback Tyrone Poole is struggling with a familiar dilemma at the New England Patriots’ training camp.

The eight-year NFL veteran, signed as an unrestricted free agent from Denver in March, sat out the 2001 season in quasi-retirement as he weighed the importance of family against his football career.

After returning to the Broncos last year and then signing with the Patriots, those concerns have resurfaced. Following practice at Gillette Stadium Sunday, Poole said the anguish of separation from his wife and daughters in Atlanta has distracted him from the task of trying to earn a spot on the Patriots’ roster.

“I told them my focus is kind of lacking because I’ve been thinking about my family,” Poole said. “My family is not going to be here during the season, and it’s kind of like a repeat of 2001. Somewhere, a decision probably will have to be made. But until that time comes, I’m going to do whatever I can out here.”

Veterans Otis Smith and Ty Law have not participated in the workouts because of injuries. In their absence, coach Bill Belichick has given rookies Eugene Wilson and Asante Samuel the greater share of practice time while relegating Poole to third-unit status. That may be because of Poole’s decision not to participate in the offseason conditioning program in Foxboro.

“I don’t know what their thinking is,” he said. “I can’t control what coach Belichick does or what the ownership does here, I can only control what Tyrone Poole does.”

Belichick said there’s nothing personal to how the practice time is being apportioned.

“Probably every player wants more reps when you’ve got 85 guys in camp,” he said. “You can’t give everybody the amount of reps they want, starting with the quarterbacks and going into every other position.”

Of greater concern to Poole is the separation from his wife, Jennifer, and daughters Tyra and Nakia.

“I’m a family man, and it’s tough,” he said. “There’s so many things running through my mind. It’s just like, on a cloudy day, you don’t know if it’s going to rain until the raindrops start falling on your head.”

Poole, the Carolina Panthers’ first-round draft pick out of Fort Valley (Ga.) State in 1995, said he’s unsure whether he’ll be able to regain the focus needed to make a serious bid for a roster spot.

“Only time will tell,” he said. “If I’m here to play football, I’m here to play football. If my mission is to do something else, them I’m going to do something else. Whatever I do, I’m going to be happy in what I’m doing.”

AP-ES-07-27-03 1816EDT