UNITED STATES OLYMPIC hurdler Devon Allen has signed a three-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, the club confirmed on Friday.
Allen, a former wide receiver with the University of Oregon, has not played gridiron since 2016, preferring instead to concentrate on his athletics career.
The 27-year-old won the US Olympic trials in 2016, and placed fifth in the 110m hurdles at the Rio de Janeiro games.
He just missed out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year, finishing in fourth place.
His college gridiron career was disrupted by knee injuries during his final two seasons, but he impressed in his first year with 41 receptions for 684 yards and seven touchdowns.
A technically sound hurdler blessed with explosive pace, Allen has long talked of pursuing an NFL career.
Allen told The Oregonian newspaper on Friday that he plans to compete at June’s USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships before taking part in the World Championships — which will be staged at his alma mater’s historic Hayward Field Stadium in Eugene — in July.
After that he plans to link up with the Eagles for pre-season training.
“I’m going to put football on the back burner for now,” he told The Oregonian.
“The goal is to get ready for Worlds, compete at Worlds, win, break the world record, and then July 18th when Worlds is done, go to camp the next week.”
Achieving success in athletics and American football is not without precedent, although it is rare for an athlete to do both simultaneously.
At the 2012 Olympics, Marquise Goodwin competed in the long jump before playing for the Buffalo Bills as a wide receiver the following year.
Others include Ron Brown, a member of the USA’s 4×100 relay gold-medal winning team at the 1984 games who played seven seasons in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Raiders.
From the group of death to the first English team to win 6 group games. NICE.
@Paul Gorry: plus shout out to them young liverpool players tonight.
@Paul Gorry: Fair play to Ajax as well. Should be a good draw on Monday.
@Paul Gorry: I hate it when you’re happy. Don’t forget about covid and the storm
@Hugh Morris: I love it when you’re sad hugh. Not forgetting how could I?
@Paul Gorry: you’re old and senile
@Hugh Morris: fair point hugh I’ll give you that one. I think.
Everton have 18 points in PL.
Liverpool have 18 points in the CL.
@kenny mcgrath: your observational skills are impeccable, may I suggest a career as a statistician?
@kenny mcgrath: Looking at those figures people might think Liverpool were the Merseyside team spending like drunken sailors on shore leave.
Well done Conor bradley making his champions League debut #UPTYRONE
Not to put a downer on Liverpool’s win be jasus I was disappointed with AC, was expecting them to really go for it especially with the Liverpool line-up but they actually couldn’t get near Liverpool for long periods of that game. They look a very average side and yet they top Serie A…
@Ottomaaan: award two assists to that goalkeeper
@Ottomaaan: Commentators on both BT & RTE made the same point. Didn’t really seem that interested till about the 85th minute. Winning Serie A their main target or manager reckoned Athletico would find a way to win?
@Ottomaaan: Kind of all reverts back to the main issue in football. Money. The CL has become a competition where only those with the strongest financial backing will win it. Gone are the days of a Porto, Ajax, Marseille or Dortmund winning it against the odds. The past 2 decades of it comfirm only City, Chelsea, Liverpool, United, Bayern, PSG (and usually Barca, Real, Juve too despite being poor now) contest the semis onwards – the commonality being big financial backing. No hate either to any side, just reality.
@Ultan Corcoran: To be fair, the teams you mentioned are always there or thereabouts with regards to the last stages of the competition and money plays a big part of that. Over the last 2 decades though, 11 of the 20 finals in question have featured teams outside of the ones you mentioned.
@Ultan Corcoran: history or finances of the clubs winning or being in the final doesn’t back your statement.
@Ultan Corcoran: maybe surpass sporting Lisbon before you start with the finances of teams ahead of you
Konate is one cool customer…class act tonite!
@Hear me now: deffo he looked huge in that defence. At the same time I love Phillips nuff said lol.
@Paul Gorry: Phillips muff?
@Paul Gorry: nothing but love for this group of players
@Hugh Morris: whaaa?
@Hear me now: Everyone of them on the same page. A joy to watch isn’t it.?
@Hear me now: Said from Day 1 he was and is the better option to buy than Upamecano. Underrated > Overrated.
@Hear me now: Jesus he was marking a 40 year old steady on!
@Philip Mckenna: That 40 year old has 6 goals in 9 games for AC at the top of Serie A
Record makers record brokers…Up the Mighty Reds…Keep it going lads!!!
The quality around Europe is dropping on previous years.
@ChadChaderson: Agreed and have done for some time now, but one has to remember the financial backing isn’t the same as it is for the top 6 odd sides in the competition.
@ChadChaderson: The Italian teams are mostly gone to feic.
I know most people in Ireland love English teams and the premier league but money is really talking here. European competitions were great before where anyone could win. Aberdeen, Malmo, Red Star, then we had an era where is was predominantly fought our between the English, Spanish, Italians and Germans. The richest leagues. Still a degree a number of teams with genuine ambitions of winning the competition though.
The English premier league is now streets ahead of the other three financially and we are starting to see that on the pitch. Of course there will be the odd maga rich continental club like PSG who may intervene from time to time but the falling away of the Spanish and Italians is not a good thing for the game. I suppose a lot of people here will hardly notice given their primary focus is who ends up champions of England.
The only blot on an otherwise perfect night was that dreadful away kit. It looks like a McDonalds outfit…