New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick wore a jersey in support of both USA Rugby and one of his players Tuesday morning.
Next: 30 Olympic athletes who dominated their events
The New England Patriots are preparing to open the season without Tom Brady as the starting quarterback for the first four games, but Monday’s news surrounding the team has to do with safety Nate Ebner.
Ebner is not in camp as he is competing with USA Rugby in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. While some organizations may want every player in training camp preparing for the season, the Patriots are fully behind Ebner’s Olympic dreams.
Bill Belichick wears @NateEbner jersey to practice.
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 9, 2016
Today, @USARugby begins Rio tournament. https://t.co/wmUbRwcoMz pic.twitter.com/h9iP1lnBAA
https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/763038259966541826
This support is great to see and something that surely makes Ebner happy. There would be no reason for Bill Belichick and the Patriots not to support one of their teammates who is playing for his country in the Olympics. It’s also worth celebrating that he is great enough to play on the highest level of competition in two separate sports.
The combination of football and rugby may not be Bo Jackson-esque, but it is something most in the NFL would not be able to do. Ebner’s play in the Olympics is also great PR for an organization who has been talking about deflated footballs for far too long.
Ebner was a former junior rugby star who switched over to football when he went to Ohio State, making a name for himself on special teams. He was drafted by the Patriots in 2012 and has been with them ever since, signing an extension this offseason.
Ebner and the USA Rugby team began their match against Argentina at noon Tuesday, and have another match at 5 p.m. EST against Brazil.