The Super Bowl hero MADE IN ENGLAND
How London Jay turned into a Philadelphia Eagle
JAY AJAYI carved his name in NFL history and then proclaimed: “This is only the beginning.”
Philadelphia’s London-born running back bounced into the winning locker room draped in a Union Flag after the Eagles stunned Tom Brady’s New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII.
In a game that broke countless Super Bowl records, the Patriots scored more points than any losing team in history.
But Ajayi’s Eagles refused to be bullied by the defending champions and their reputation for famous comebacks.
As he stood by his locker after the game, a clearly-emotional Ajayi, his voice breaking, said: “There’s no better feeling. Forever in history. Legendary. For ever! No one will ever take this away from me. I’m a Super Bowl champion in the NFL. In my third year. The best is still to come, though. This is only the beginning.
“Arsenal scored five yesterday and we won the Super Bowl tonight. This has been a great weekend for me.”
In a game of one breathtaking play after another, Brady became the first quarterback ever to throw for more than 500 yards in a Super Bowl but that and his three touchdown passes was not enough.
He had one final chance to force overtime as the clock expired but his Hail Mary pass was knocked down at the goal line to send Eagles fans wild.
Ajayi added: “When Brady heaved the final pass downfield I was on the bench, waiting, but I watched and then it was over. I rushed the field right after that. As soon as my family got down on the field, I met them, and we embraced. It was amazing.
“Tonight we’ll celebrate until can’t celebrate any longer. And then we’re going to celebrate some more.”
Ajayi rushed for 57 yards on the night in a magnificent Eagles team effort and he was overwhelmed by the journey he had made.
Ajayi, who was picked up by Philly on the October 31 deadline day after Miami dumped him, added: “It’s special. To know where I’ve come from, to know my roots. “It’s rare to be in positions
like this, coming from London, getting to the States and even being a Super Bowl champion. “It’s rare. So, I’m thankful for my upbringing, I’m thankful for everything that’s happened in my life that’s brought me to this point. From the journey and challenges I’ve been through, the adversity, and to be at this point, to be able to touch that Lombardi Trophy, and to understand that I’m a Super Bowl champion, it’s the greatest feeling in the world. I’m blessed, and I pray someone will become inspired by it. “Everyone dreams about being in this seat and being a champion. I’m a Super Bowl champion and this is the greatest feeling in the world. I’m in shock right now. “We were so aggres- sive as a team and we wanted to stay aggressive. We didn’t want to take our foot off the gas pedal and I don’t think we did that tonight.
“We showed who the Eagles were. All the talk was that we were the underdogs but in our minds we still believed in who we were and what we could do. I think that showed tonight.
“We knew that they couldn’t stop us tonight. Whatever we were going to do, we were going to execute, we were going to keep our foot on the gas and we weren’t going to let up until the clock said zero, and we did that throughout the game.”
Brady, playing in a record eighth Super Bowl, was trying to become the first player to win six but came up one play short. He said: “It’s tough to lose. I give the Eagles a lot of credit. They played a great game. They played really well.
“Losing sucks. That’s part of it. You try to win and sometimes you lose. That’s the way it goes.”