Rocket Can’t Scrape Off the Rust: He Finishes Last in Penn Relays 100

Raghib (Rocket) Ismail, the highest-paid athlete in pro sports, ran like an amateur Saturday.

Ismail finished last in an eight-man field in the 100-meter dash at the Penn Relays. “I knew what the results would be,” said Ismail, the former Notre Dame football star who on April 20 signed a contract worth as much as $26 million with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

“The way things have gone for me the last 2 1/2 or three weeks, I hadn’t had a chance to work out. But, what the heck, it was good to participate.”

Ismail, who ran the fastest 55 meters during the indoor season, started strongly and burst into the lead, but he finished in 10.61 seconds, far behind winner Jon Drummond of Texas Christian (10.23). “Talent will get you to 50 meters, but after that, you have to be in shape,” Ismail said.