Eagles’ Ajayi still has to convince friends Super Bowl is a big deal
Despite reaching the apex of American Football, Jay Ajayi needs to speak in code sometimes. The London-born running back will be appearing in the Super Bowl with his Philadelphia Eagles a week today, but his friends and family back in Europe still need a helping hand to understand just what a big deal that is.
“I tell them it’s like playing in the Champions League final or the World Cup final,” he says. “It’s the pinnacle of the sport. There’s no better game, there’s nothing after the Super Bowl. This is it, it’s one of the biggest sporting events in the world.”
A childhood Arsenal fan, at the age of seven Ajayi moved from Manor House in north London to Texas, where inevitably his sporting focus drifted from soccer to gridiron. This has been an eventful season for him, following his unusual NFL career progression from niche British interest to genuine star with the Miami Dolphins.
His breakout year, in which he became only the fourth player in league history to exceed 200 running yards in three consecutive games, was followed by a quieter start in Miami this season. On trade deadline day in November he was shipped out to the Eagles, something of an upgrade.
“I was grateful of where I ended up,” he says. “To have come from a team where we were not performing well to a team that was successful and had a great locker room, a brotherhood. And I felt welcomed and appreciated, the most important thing for me.”
His new team are the unfancied outsiders in the concluding game of the season, largely written off after losing star quarterback Carson Wentz in December. They face a formidable opponent in the New England Patriots, appearing in the title-decider for the fourth time in the last six years.
Their imperious quarterback Tom Brady and immutable coach Bill Belichick have won five Super Bowls between them since 2002. Ajayi said: “They’re a quality team and it’s going to take four full quarters to beat them. You have got to bring your A-game.”
This will be the 24-year-old’s first appearance in the Super Bowl, which was watched by an estimated
172 million Americans last year. Making it on to the field fulfils a promise Ajayi made to himself this time last year. “Last year was the first Super Bowl I attended, I was doing some stuff for NFL UK,” he says. “I was at the game up until the third quarter but I got fed up because I couldn’t take the fact that I was watching the Super Bowl and I wasn’t playing in it. It was really uncomfortable for me so I left early. I told myself that I wouldn’t go back to the Super Bowl unless I was playing. This year instead of shaking guys’ hands pre-game and doing analysis at half-time I’m playing.”
While Ajayi’s focus is on the game taking place in Minneapolis next Sunday he still keeps abreast of his beloved Arsenal. What did he make of Alexis Sanchez’s exit to Manchester United? “Basically, good riddance,” he says. “I’m a supporter of the guys that play for the team and want to be there.”