INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 04: Wide receiver John Ross of Washington runs the 40-yard dash in an unofficial record time of 4.22 seconds during day four of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 4, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
NFLBy Ben Sieck on

As part of the lead up to the NFL combine, Adidas did something a little unusual. The sportswear company offered a private island, yes a private island, to any NFL prospect who could do both of the following: First, break the combine record for the 40 yard dash owned by Chris Johnson at a blazing 4.24 seconds, and second, do so while wearing Adidas’ new cleats.

Former Washington receiver John Ross secured the first part of the deal, running a 4.22 in the dash on Saturday, but unfortunately for him, he did so while wearing Nike cleats.

Here’s the footage of Ross’ mad dash to the record books. And as you can see, his cleats are adorned with the Nike Swoosh and not the Adidas stripes.

For reference, the NFL Network put together a mashup of Ross running simultaneously with some of the NFL’s speediest wide outs, and the former Washington Husky wins handily.

Luckily, Michael Irvin got the chance to ask Ross about his footwear choice, and his answer was kinda perfect. After all, what use is an island for someone who can’t swim and doesn’t own a boat?

Ross might not have the capacity to enjoy an island at the moment, but his 40 time likely earned him a hefty payday in the near future. Before long, he’ll be able to buy himself the boat that he lacks now, and I don’t think a multimillionaire will be sweating the cost of a few swimming lessons either.

Of course, the Adidas deal was not quite as amazing as it may have initially appeared. The price limit for the island was set at just $1 million, and the potential spots Ross could’ve chosen from did not look much longer than the 40 yard dash he just finished running.

A private island is still a private island, but something tells me Ross will be content with a combine record and a spot in the NFL.

About Ben Sieck

Ben is a recent graduate of Butler University where he served as Managing Editor and Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Butler Collegian. He currently resides in Indianapolis.

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