49ers Dealt Yet Another Early Retirement Blow as Jarryd Hayne Leaves for Olympics
The San Francisco 49ers have been extremely unlucky when it comes to players retiring surprisingly early. The departures of Chris Borland, Anthony Davis, Patrick Willis have left the once potent 49ers in the NFL basement with little depth to work with.
Continuing the trend today is Jarryd Hayne, the former international rugby star who made headlines transitioning to the NFL announces his retirement after just one year of football.
Hayne will join the Fiji Rugby Sevens for this summers Olympic games in Rio, Brazil as the island attempts to win its first ever Olympic medal.
"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. 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."
You can read Jarryd Hayne’s entire letter below.
.@49ers announce that @JarrydHayne is retiring to join the Fiji Rugby Sevens for the Olympics. Some of his statement pic.twitter.com/PKwBpWRXOv
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 15, 2016
Jarryd Haynes 419 career points for his Rugby club Parramatta from 2006-2014. He had an additional 36 points for New South Wales, 56 international points for both Australia and Fiji, and four points in two career Rugby All-Star games.
While Hayne didn’t light up the stat sheet, he was expected to become a valuable piece to the 49ers in the second year of his three year contract. In eight games with the 49ers, Hayne had 52 rushing yards and 27 receiving yards. As a punt returner he had 76 yards with a long of 37.
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The announcement from Hanye’s must come as a surprise to the 49ers, who were praising him just days ago. 49ers executive Paraag Marathe said just five days ago “I think you’ll see a jump from him. You look at elite athletes and those guys who have that willpower and desire to succeed and there’s something special in them.”
Hanye’s illustrious career in the NRL (National Rugby League) carried him into a fullback role in the NFL. Twice he won the NRL’s “Dally M” medal, which is presented to the leagues best player. In 2009 he won the Rugby League International Federation’s International Player of the Year award.
The San Francisco 49ers certainly will not be starving for help in the backfield. Carlos Hyde, Mike Davis, and Shaun Draughn will be returning. The team also drafted Kelvin Taylor, son of retired running back Fred Taylor, in the sixth round of this years NFL Draft.