It’s no secret that some of the best athletes in the United States can be found on Sundays wearing any one of the NFL’s 32 uniforms. And now, one former player will have the opportunity to compete on the world stage after being forced to retire early from another one.
After being forced to retire four years ago due to concussions, former NFL running back Jahvid Best is back in another sport, as the former Detriot Lion qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. He was named the St. Lucia track & field team and will be competing in the 100-meter dash.
This is a significant achievement for the former California Bears standout, as Best becomes the first person with NFL experience to qualify for the Summer Olympics. The last time an NFL player qualified for any Olympics was in 1992, when Herschel Walker competed in the bobsled event
Best may not even be the only NFL player to be in Rio. Patriots safety Nate Ebner has a chance to possibly be named to the U.S. Olympic rugby team as well)
Best’s father was born in St. Lucia, which explains just why he was named to their team and where his ties to the small Carribean island come from. But outside of Best, only two others managed to qualify for the team. Given the elite competition and where he stands compared to other elite track and field athletes, it’s good to see Best have the opportunity to compete at a high level again albeit unlikely to advance too far in the 100-meter dash.
A former first-round pick in 2010, Best had a concussion history coming out of college and suffered a head injury against the San Francisco 49ers that resulted in the speedster never being cleared to play again. He was forced to call it a career after only 22 games, in which he had already amassed 945 rushing yards and 774 receiving yards.
