NFL player Nate Ebner makes Olympic rugby squad
New England Patriots safety Nate Ebner, who temporarily left football to chase his Olympic dreams, has made the U.S. rugby team for the 2016 Summer Games.
Ebner was part of a 12-man roster announced by USA Rugby on Monday.
The squad includes captain Madison Hughes and veterans Zack Test and Danny Barrett. Carlin Isles — the so-called fastest man in rugby, whose 100-meter time could have put him in contention for the American track team — is also making the trip to Rio de Janeiro.
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“While we are not pre-tournament favorites like Fiji … we are a team who are hugely respected and feared by all other countries as genuine contenders,” Coach Mike Friday said. “We know that on any given Sunday we have the power, pace and physicality to match and beat anyone.”
Rugy is returning to the Games with the “sevens” version of the sport that has fewer players and more wide-open action on the field.
Ebner made headlines last spring when the Patriots granted him a leave of absence to try out for the U.S. squad.
The special teams standout had played elite rugby as a youth before switching to football at Ohio State. He plans to return to the NFL in late August.
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