Olympic discus champion Roje Stona is the latest high-profile athlete to switch sports and try for a career in the NFL.
The 25-year-old, who won gold for Jamaica at Paris 2024, will try to make it to the NFL as part of the league’s International Player Pathway program, which aims to help athletes from other sports pursue a career in American football to build.
Stona is far from a football novice. He was a track and field star at the University of Arkansas, where he also participated in their pro day, an event where NFL teams evaluate potential players. Before Arkansas, he went to football powerhouse Clemson, where he became a fan of the Tigers. This spring, he also worked out at minicamps with the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers. NFL scouts believe the 6-foot-4, 270-pound Stona would be a good fit on the defensive line or at tight end.
“After the Olympics [the IPP] contacted again. I was like, ‘Yo, the door’s open again,'” Stona told ESPN. “Sure, I’ll take it. At the Olympics I won gold and set a record. And after that offseason they approached me again, so I jumped at the chance.”
Although most athletes in the 10-week IPP program do not end up on an NFL team, there are success stories. Most notable is Australian Jordan Mailata, who started life as a rugby player before coming through the IPP and becoming an established star with the Philadelphia Eagles. He recently signed a three-year, $66 million contract extension with the Eagles. In addition to Mailata, four other IPP players are on active NFL rosters: Britain’s Efe Obada (Washington Commanders), Chile’s Sammis Reyes (Minnesota Vikings), Dutch Thomas Odukoya (Tennessee Titans) and Germany’s David Bada ( Detroit Lions).
Other players at this year’s IPP include Australian rugby international Jordan Petaia and another rugby player, Ireland’s Aaron Sexton.
In January, Wales’ Louis Rees-Zammit gave up an international rugby career to compete in the IPP. While he was initially picked up by the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, he is now on the practice squad for the Jacksonville Jaguars.