Football players have been competing in the Olympics for decades, albeit in other sports.
New England Patriots defensive back Nate Ebner hopes to be the latest to go for the gold in an event — rugby — that last appeared in the Summer Games when the NFL was a 4-year-old league.
The "sevens" version of rugby (seven players to a side) that will be played in Rio is, Ebner told USA TODAY Sports, "full-blown action — the hardest 15 minutes of anything I've ever done."
That from a guy who managed to walk on to Ohio State's football team as a junior without any previous experience playing organized football.