News about Perry Baker

Olympics: Perry Baker's NFL career was ruined by injury but now he can end USA's 100 years of rugby hurt at the Olympics... and explains why Louis Rees-Zammit faces a tougher swap with the Chiefs

www.dailymail.co.uk, July 23, 2024
In 2011, Perry Baker achieved a lifelong dream. He'd made it to the NFL after being signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. Flash forward two years, and the receiver, who had been on the verge of fame and riches, was sleeping in his truck and working as a pest control employee. But now, another decade-long jump later, and the 38-year-old is gearing up for his third Olympics. No, not as an NFL player - flag football won't make its return until 2028 - but rather as a two-time World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year. Americans and rugby is an unfamiliar concept for most within the NFL-obsessed country but what they may not know is that the USA shares a history with the sport on the Olympic stage. Albeit, a long, far-off and extremely faint history.