Jarryd Hayne Has Quit The NFL And Is Returning To Rugby

Former Australia rugby league star Jarryd Hayne has announced his retirement from the NFL, in order to seek a place at the Olympics with the Fiji rugby union sevens team.

“I am retiring from the NFL because the Fiji rugby sevens team reached out to me about the opportunity to join the team for the upcoming Olympics, and I simply could not pass that chance up,” Hayne said in a statement.

“The Olympics has been something I have admired since I was a little boy, and it is an opportunity I feel very similar to me joining the NFL.”

A homegrown NFL player, Nate Ebner, is also aiming to play in Rio in August. The New England Patriots special teams player, who grew up playing rugby in Ohio, has been given leave to pursue a place on the US team.