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Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Insider
By now, so many overseas athletes have come to the United States to take their shot at the National Football League that it no longer feels particularly newsworthy.
Louis Rees-Zammit is an exception.
This week, Rees-Zammit, a 22-year-old winger for Wales’ national rugby team and a genuine star of last year’s Rugby World Cup, created shockwaves in his homeland by announcing he was quitting the sport to join up with the NFL’s International Player Pathway, with immediate effect.
“He was the stardust of the team,” former international standout James Hook, who played for Wales 81 times, told me via telephone on Wednesday. “He is incredibly quick. If you talk to his teammates, they’ll tell you his speed is ridiculous. He’s strong, powerful, very skillful – and a big part of the squad. No one saw this coming.”
Encouraged as part of the NFL’s global push, Australian Rules football athletes, handball and basketball players, sprinters, shot putters and exponents of both forms of rugby have embarked on a new adventure in an attempt to turn their physical attributes into a lucrative new career on the gridiron.
Since this push began, there has been a wide range of outcomes. Some players quickly realized the game was not for them and departed. Several have earned roster spots and practice-squad deals, all the way to the case of tackle Jordan Mailata, who switched from Australia’s National Rugby League to become a Super Bowl runner-up with the Philadelphia Eagles and recipient of a four-year, $64 million contract.
Where Rees-Zammit stands out is because of his age – at 22, he has arguably not yet entered his prime in rugby, yet he is already regarded as one of the most dynamic players in the world. Also it’s because of his standing – those seeking an NFL chance don’t typically walk away from existing stardom in their own game.
“He’s the real deal,” Nick Benson,…
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Publish date : 2024-01-17 18:24:27
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