NFL superstar gives it to Louis Rees-Zammit straight as future now uncertain
Philadelphia Eagles superstar Jordan Mailata has urged fellow rugby convert Louis Rees-Zammit not to give up on his NFL dream. In a straight-talking message he told him must fight to overcome the hurdle he faces.
The Welshman has become a free agent after coming to the end of his contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he spent a year on the training squad following his release from the Kansas City Chiefs.
He now faces an uncertain future, but Mailata, the most successful player to have made the transition from rugby to the NFL, has urged him to keep pressing on with his dream of making the grade.
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Mailata, who is poised to face the Chiefs in what will be his second Super Bowl on Sunday, said: "Everyone is going to face a hurdle at some point. You have to want to jump over that hurdle. I want Louis to keep going. It's not over yet, son."
Mailata made the switch from rugby league to become an offensive tackle for the Eagles, who will look to avenge their narrow 38-35 defeat at the hands of the Chiefs at Super Bowl 57 in 2023.
Rees-Zammit has also received encouragement from former colleague Dave Taub, assistant head coach and special teams coordinator for the Chiefs
"I love him. I really like him," Taub said. "He was a hard worker. He didn't have the base fundamentals that these guys have. They've been playing football since fourth grade. He was just starting. The football instincts, that's where he kind of lacked," he told AFP.
"Athletic skills? He had them everywhere. Those little small intangibles that he didn't have, it's going to take time. I hope he doesn't give up. I hope he keeps trying to achieve his goal of playing American football.
"These guys have been playing for years. Then you get thrown into that. There's going to be a learning curve for him. Again, I hope he doesn't give up. I think after two or three years, if it doesn't click by then, time to go back to rugby."
