http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...-rb-jay-ajayi-to-have-bittersweet-return-home
LONDON -- Jay Ajayi always dreamed of stepping onto the legendary turf at Wembley Stadium, but it wasn't supposed to happen like this.
The Miami Dolphins rookie running back, who lived in London until he was 7 years old before moving to Texas, harbored dreams of kicking a round ball on this field, not running with an oval one.
"I've never even been to Wembley," Ajayi said in an accent he describes as British, American and Texan all in one. "For a homecoming to be like this, it will be very special to me."
Unfortunately, it won't quite be the fairy tale Ajayi and his fans had hoped for. When the Dolphins face the New York Jets on Sunday, he'll watch from the sidelines as the rookie is currently on the Dolphins' injured reserve after cracking a rib in the team's preseason finale against the Buccaneers -- in which he ran for 66 yards and caught a pair of passes for 37 yards in an eye-opening performance.
While a love for the Dallas Cowboys inevitably followed the family's move to Texas, Ajayi professes an equal love for Arsenal F.C., a soccer team in the English Premier League. He was photographed wearing the team's famous red jersey earlier this year during a visit to London. Despite moving to the state considered the home of high school football, soccer was still encouraged by his father, Ibi, who had worked for FIFA as a licensed agent.
"I was getting a lot of pressure from both sides to give one sport my undivided attention," Ajayi told "The Guardian" in a pre-draft interview. "I was getting it every day. I played competitive soccer and my soccer coach would be like, 'Man, we need you to be at practice.' While my football coaches at high school, they're saying, 'Quit chasing around that soccer ball and come to practice.'
"It was very stressful at that time because I was trying to please a lot of people, and in the end, my dad told me, 'You can be good at both of them or you can be great at one. You really need to choose which one you want to be great at.' "
While soccer remains a passion, it was football that won Ajayi's heart in the end -- although his skills on the gridiron can be attributed to his original sporting love.
"The footwork, the coordination that is built through playing soccer all helps," he said. "I can translate that into my game of being a running back, where I need very quick feet and balance."
Ajayi earned a scholarship to Boise State, where he played for three seasons. After he finished his college career with 3,796 rushing yards and 50 rushing touchdowns, tied for the second most in school history, Ajayi was a highly touted draft prospect. Some believed he would be a second-round pick. Given that he didn't even start playing football until three years after moving to the U.S., it was an achievement in itself.
I wish Jay was playing instead of on the IR.
LONDON -- Jay Ajayi always dreamed of stepping onto the legendary turf at Wembley Stadium, but it wasn't supposed to happen like this.
The Miami Dolphins rookie running back, who lived in London until he was 7 years old before moving to Texas, harbored dreams of kicking a round ball on this field, not running with an oval one.
"I've never even been to Wembley," Ajayi said in an accent he describes as British, American and Texan all in one. "For a homecoming to be like this, it will be very special to me."
Unfortunately, it won't quite be the fairy tale Ajayi and his fans had hoped for. When the Dolphins face the New York Jets on Sunday, he'll watch from the sidelines as the rookie is currently on the Dolphins' injured reserve after cracking a rib in the team's preseason finale against the Buccaneers -- in which he ran for 66 yards and caught a pair of passes for 37 yards in an eye-opening performance.
While a love for the Dallas Cowboys inevitably followed the family's move to Texas, Ajayi professes an equal love for Arsenal F.C., a soccer team in the English Premier League. He was photographed wearing the team's famous red jersey earlier this year during a visit to London. Despite moving to the state considered the home of high school football, soccer was still encouraged by his father, Ibi, who had worked for FIFA as a licensed agent.
"I was getting a lot of pressure from both sides to give one sport my undivided attention," Ajayi told "The Guardian" in a pre-draft interview. "I was getting it every day. I played competitive soccer and my soccer coach would be like, 'Man, we need you to be at practice.' While my football coaches at high school, they're saying, 'Quit chasing around that soccer ball and come to practice.'
"It was very stressful at that time because I was trying to please a lot of people, and in the end, my dad told me, 'You can be good at both of them or you can be great at one. You really need to choose which one you want to be great at.' "
While soccer remains a passion, it was football that won Ajayi's heart in the end -- although his skills on the gridiron can be attributed to his original sporting love.
"The footwork, the coordination that is built through playing soccer all helps," he said. "I can translate that into my game of being a running back, where I need very quick feet and balance."
Ajayi earned a scholarship to Boise State, where he played for three seasons. After he finished his college career with 3,796 rushing yards and 50 rushing touchdowns, tied for the second most in school history, Ajayi was a highly touted draft prospect. Some believed he would be a second-round pick. Given that he didn't even start playing football until three years after moving to the U.S., it was an achievement in itself.
I wish Jay was playing instead of on the IR.
