"All rookies go through a learning curve, and mine was just having to learn a new system and get adjusted to life in the NFL," said Dwayne Jarrett, the New Brunswick High School product who struggled in his first season with the Carolina Panthers last year.

"It's just something that I had to go through to become a better player."

A season in which Jarrett played in only half of Carolina's 16 games and finished with just six receptions for 73 yards and no touchdowns was followed by a DWI arrest on March 11.

Jarrett, 21, reportedly had a blood-alcohol level of 0.12, above North Carolina's legal limit of 0.08. Though his hearing is scheduled for Monday, Jarrett spoke with the Home News Tribune at length about the incident last week.

"It's something that will never happen again," Jarrett said. "People that know me, know I wouldn't do anything like that to jeopardize my future. I was disappointed in myself more than anything, because that's not what I'm about. I'm not someone who makes headlines for doing bad stuff or creating distractions, but it's something I've learned from. I've moved on and hopefully it's something that will help me grow as a man."

A second-round pick out of Southern California in 2007, Jarrett hopes to build on a solid training camp earlier this month, believing he's a much improved wide receiver from the one who struggled to adjust to the playbook last season.

An impromptu meeting with head coach John Fox illustrated to Jarrett that Carolina's coaching staff still has high hopes for Southern Cal's record-setting receiver.

"Coach Fox just pulled me aside following a one of our OTA practices and said, You're doing a great job and keep up the hard work,' " said Jarrett, who credited fellow receiver Muhsin Muhammad as someone who's taken him under his wing during the offseason. "Moose' has been like a big brother to me. He's someone who's experienced many of the things I went through last season, not playing early in his career and now he's one of the best wide receivers in the league. I know if I follow his advice, if I do the things that he's done to be successful, I'm going to have success in this league."

Jarrett, who's expected to compete with Muhammad for Carolina's No. 2 receiver spot opposite Steve Smith when preseason camp begins next month, said he's already heard whispers that he's "a bust."

Yet, in the same breath Jarrett notes that he played most of his rookie season at the ripe age of 20.

"I know I have the talent and I belong here," Jarrett said. "It's just a matter of getting adjusted to a new environment, feeling comfortable with how things work at this level. To be honest, I feel like my rookie season is a thing of the past. I feel like a veteran right now."

Jarrett, who earned $1.685 million as a rookie last season, bought his grandmother a home in Colonia and moved his mother, Camille, to Charlotte, N.C., upon signing a multi-year contract last year.

"Family is what I'm all about," Jarrett said. "I haven't settled down yet with a family of my own, so of course I'm going to make sure the people that got me here, my mom, my grandmother, get everything they need. Everything I do, I do for my family."

While he hasn't returned home to New Brunswick since getting drafted 14 months ago, Jarrett already has circled Dec. 21 on his calendar.

That's the day Carolina travels to East Rutherford to play the Giants, and by then Jarrett hopes his tumultous rookie season will be a distant memory.

"Hopefully," he said, "you'll have something positive to write about when I come back home."

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