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Former Detroit Lions RB Is Fulfilling Olympic Dream

By Erik Lambert

Dec 28, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; A Detroit Lions helmet sits on the field during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; A Detroit Lions helmet sits on the field during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Olympics and the NFL have stronger ties than many people know, and it’s about to get even deeper with a former player set to compete in the Rio games.

The name Jahvid Best might ring a bell for casual football fans, but he’s almost certainly well-known among the Detroit Lions family. For a brief two-year stretch in 2010 and 2011 he was an electrifying running back who produced some pretty memorable plays and was an integral part of helping the team lift itself out of the quagmire it had created when going winless in 2009.

As a rookie he had over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and scored six touchdowns and became a capable backup a year later while helping the Lions to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Unfortunately, a series of concussion problems haunted him and he was forced to retire at the age of 23. It was a sad ending for a player who had so much potential.

Seems he wasn’t daunted by the setback. He returned to his career on the track that he’d excelled at in school, intent on fulfilling another dream:  to be an Olympic athlete.  According to NBC Sports, that has become a reality.

"“Former Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best has been submitted and approved for Saint Lucia’s Olympic track and field team and is set to become the first person with previous NFL experience to compete in a Summer Games.He has been doing sprint training at the Altis center in Arizona, home of many elite Olympic athletes, for at least one year.Best registered on the Olympic radar on April 2, when he ran a personal-best 10.16 seconds for the 100m with nearly the maximum allowable legal tailwind (1.9 meters/second) at a small meet in California.That met the Olympic qualifying standard of 10.16 seconds or faster (on the dot), but the IAAF must also recognize the results as official.”"

Playing the advantage of dual-citizenship is nothing new in the realm of international athletics and if anybody deserves a chance to show the world he has something to prove, it’s Best. If he could somehow claim a medal in the competitions, he would join a very select group of former NFL players who achieved the same.

More from NFL Mocks

Former 49ers nose tackle Michael Carter was a three-time Pro Bowler and helped the team with three Super Bowls. He also won a silver medal in 1984 Summer Games. Then there was Hall of Fame wide receiver “Bullet” Bob Hayes who claimed gold medals in the 100 meter and 4×100 meter sprints. That’s impressive company to keep.

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