Oakland Raiders legend George Atkinson hopes son can make roster
By Bryan Rose
Last month, the son of Jerry Rice, Jerry Rice Jr., attempted to make the San Francisco 49ers roster.
It didn’t happen as Rice Jr wasn’t offered a contract and most recently worked out for the Baltimore Ravens looking to make an NFL roster.
However, across the Bay there’s an equally inspiring story going on involving Oakland Raiders legend George Atkinson and his son, George Atkinson III.
After going undrafted out of Notre Dame, the Raiders front office reached out to the youngest Atkinson, citing his impressive special teams skills and inked him to a free agent contract.
The elder Atkinson, who currently works as a member of the Oakland broadcast team said he couldn’t watch his son take part in the Raiders rookie camp, insinuating that this was his moment to shine.
“He told me yesterday, ‘I’m not going to come out. I know you’re expecting me to come, but this is your moment and you need to be a man about it as an individual and I’m not going to be here to pressure you or anything like that.’” Atkinson III said. “He’ll have a chance to come out and see me practice.”
The elder Atkinson, who set the Raiders single-game yardage mark for punt returns also ranks 5th all time on the franchise’s interception list.