Jahvid Best Set To Become First Former NFLer To Compete In Summer Olympics
Jahvid Best Set To Become First Former NFLer To Compete In Summer Olympics
Former Lions running back Jahvid Best became the first player with previous NFL experience to qualify for the Summer Olympics.
Former Lions running back Jahvid Best is headed to the Olympics after all. NBC Sports reported over the weekend that last month, the IAAF finally accepted his Olympic qualifying standard of 10.16 in the 100 meters at the California Collegiate Invitational in April. And then this week, according to NBC Sports, Best was cleared to compete for Saint Lucia instead of the United States. 10.16 is exactly the Olympic qualifying standard, and Best's father is Saint Lucian.
ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio says that Best would be the first person ever with prior NFL experience to compete in the summer Olympics, though Herschel Walker bobsledded at the 1992 Winter Olympics and current New England Patriot might be on the American rugby team in Rio.
Jeff Demps ran the 4x100 at the 2012 Olympics before entering the NFL.
We covered Best's Olympic quest in February. His football career was marked by numerous documented concussions, including an extremely vicious one in college in 2009. Concussions eventually caught up with Best, and he left the NFL in 2011 after two seasons. He filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against the NFL and its helmet manufacturer in 2014.
Best said to us in February that "I've only been back doing this for a year so for me to make the Olympics would probably be a miracle, but I'm just working as hard as I can and we'll see. If I sneak my way in there it'll be a great story."
ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio says that Best would be the first person ever with prior NFL experience to compete in the summer Olympics, though Herschel Walker bobsledded at the 1992 Winter Olympics and current New England Patriot might be on the American rugby team in Rio.
Jeff Demps ran the 4x100 at the 2012 Olympics before entering the NFL.
We covered Best's Olympic quest in February. His football career was marked by numerous documented concussions, including an extremely vicious one in college in 2009. Concussions eventually caught up with Best, and he left the NFL in 2011 after two seasons. He filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against the NFL and its helmet manufacturer in 2014.
Best said to us in February that "I've only been back doing this for a year so for me to make the Olympics would probably be a miracle, but I'm just working as hard as I can and we'll see. If I sneak my way in there it'll be a great story."