Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit turns to NFL and signs with Kansas City Chiefs
Louis Rees-Zammit, the wicked fast Welsh rugby star and fan favorite, has made an extraordinary crossover to American football, signing a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, the team announced Friday.
Louis Rees-Zammit, the wicked fast Welsh rugby star and fan favorite, has made an extraordinary crossover to American football, signing a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, the team announced Friday.
The 23-year-old Welshman announced in January that he was departing from his sport and homeland for his long-shot dream at the NFL — much to the dismay of fierce rugby fans in the U.K.
And it looks like his efforts paid off as the 6-foot-3, 212-pound star known for his ferocious speed has minted a deal with the Super Bowl's latest winners, the Chiefs.
Rees-Zammit path across the pond started with the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, or IPPP, a bid from the NFL to increase the league’s player base beyond North America and attract around-the-world talent. In January he flew to Florida for 10 weeks of intense training capped by a March showcase day before NFL club scouts.
A daunting task to change sports and country, Rees-Zammit said he had to do it.
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