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Nate Ebner on transition from Olympic rugby back to the NFL

Nate Ebner is playing his fifth season with the New England Patriots, but it was a moment on the rugby pitch that he considers the most memorable of his athletic career.

“It was pretty exciting to score a try at the Olympics,” Ebner said in a phone interview last week. “I can’t say that I’ve ever done anything comparable to that.”

Ebner became the first active NFL player to compete at a Summer Olympics when he played for the U.S. rugby team in Rio. The Americans finished ninth of 12 teams, as rugby sevens made its Olympic debut.