Brit star Jay aims to Stan and deliver
STAN KROENKE goes into part two of his big weekend tonight hoping that he won’t be left cursing a die-hard Arsenal fan.
After the Premier League’s game of the week at Old Trafford yesterday, the Gunners’ majority owner (below) will watch the other team he owns – the LA Rams – take on the Miami Dolphins.
Jay Ajayi grew up in London and dreamed of the day he might pull on the famous red shirt at Highbury.
But his sensational season for the Dolphins proves he made the right career choice once his family moved to America, where he was playing the football he was raised on and the football he discovered at school in his new home in Texas. The 23-year-old running b back said: “It was kind of draining rushing from practice to practice, right after each other.
“My dad told me, ‘Y ‘You’re going to have to dec decide. You can be good at both or great at one.’ So I chose American football.”
It was a wise choice. He was signed out of college by the Dolphins in 2015, but found opportunities hard to come by as a rookie, and was consigned by injury to a spectator role when Miami played at Wembley last season.
When his chance came this year however, he grabbed it with both hands and has not looked back. He has 725 yards rushing this season and has scored six touchdowns as he tries to help Miami reach the playoffs.
It is a far cry from his London days, but it is not just fans in Florida he wants to impress.
Ajayi said: “Growing up, I don’t remember anything about NFL. It was not as prevalent as it is today. Now, it’s huge, and I want to keep playing well, keep being a face for the UK, and keep showcasing the talent. Because there’s probably a kid over there who maybe will see me scoring a touchdown, and he’ll have that dream. You never know.”
TONIGHT Baltimore Miami Green Bay TOMORROW NIGHT/TUESDAY MORNING Houston @ Oakland 1.30am THURSDAY – THANKSGIVING DAY SPECIAL Minnesota @ Detroit 5.30pm Washington @ Dallas 9.30pm Pittsburgh @ Indianapolis 1.30am SATURDAY NIGHT The NFL Show 11.50pm SS2 SS2 SS1
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