A chance of a lifetime
Victory would be perfect end to memorable visit in home city for Ajayi.
Since landing in his
LONDON — hometown Friday, Jay Ajayi has launched a clothing brand on Berwick Street, unveiled caps he designed on Carnaby Street and met with fans at an NFL event on Regent Street.
Ajayi’s image landed on a chocolate candy box: the IT’SUGAR Sweet- ies Jay Ajayi Box. And he became the first NFL player to have his own Twitter emoji, which of course unlocks when #JayTrain is included in a tweet.
“Really cool,” Ajayi said of the emoji. “Thankful for that.”
Miami Dolphins teammates have been with Ajayi every step of the
way. Players such as Jarvis Landry and DeVante Parker were at the launch of Ajayi’s lifestyle brand, YURP, in Soho on Friday evening.
YURP stands for Your Unlocked Raw Power, which seems appropriate for a running back.
“I’m starting it over here because this is basically where the roots are from,” Ajayi said.
It’s easy to forget that at this time last year, Ajayi had played three games for Miami and carried the ball just five, seven and six times. The breakout came fast and furious, and it may have changed Ajayi’s life forever.
When Ajayi takes the Wembley Stadium field today against the Saints, he’ll fulfill a lifelong dream, and an extraordinarily unlikely one.
What are the odds a Londoner would move to America at the age of 7, end up as a fifth-round draft pick in the NFL, then rush for more than 1,200 yards in a season in which he wasn’t even active for the first game?
And then what are the odds the same Londoner would play in an NFL game in his hometown, right in his prime?
“Being featured and being a good player and being from London, being the only skill player right now as well, has kind of made me the face, almost, a little bit of NFL UK,” Ajayi said. “So that has been a blessing in itself. I’m just trying to further the game over there.”
It’s rare that a player publicly states he is putting pressure on himself.
Ajayi did that during the week. He is not shy about embracing the role he wants to take on his team and how important it is for him to do well before 40 close friends and family members, including his parents and three younger American-born siblings who have never before been to London.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Ajayi said.
Ajayi believes that if he had stayed in England, he would have pursued a professional soccer career. His favorite club is Arsenal.
If Ajayi scores a touchdown today, don’t be surprised if his celebration is some sort of homage to Arsenal or Premier League soccer.
Ajayi is good friends with Thierry Henry, Arsenal’s alltime leading scorer.
“It’s great for us to have a British player who touches the ball and gets in the end zone,” said Neil Reynolds, who anchors Sky Sports’ coverage of the NFL. “There is still a way to go to kind of break into that soccer stronghold. But the NFL has certainly grown. We are passionate about the sport, and knowledgeable.”
Reynolds said the Dolphins have long been one of England’s most popular NFL clubs.
If Ajayi and the Dolphins are to beat New Orleans, they’ll need to bring more energy than they did against the Jets last week.
This is a challenge because Miami will have traveled nearly 17,000 miles on its first three trips of the season, which also happen to be the first three games of the season.
And Ajayi has been resting some at practice because of knee soreness.
Coach Adam Gase is not overly concerned about any of it, including Ajayi’s hectic schedule.
“I think he’s excited to come play in this game,” Gase said. “I think he wants to play well. He’s worked hard this week and had a good day the one day that he went. I just think he’s ready for (today) to be here.”
It’s a long trip home to South Florida, win or lose. But for Ajayi, a victory on the pitch at Wembley would be an incomparable memory.
“Not many people get that opportunity to come to Wembley and play and it’s such a special place, so I definitely don’t want to take that for granted,” Ajayi said.
“This is rare for me in a sense to have gotten this far and being here, it’s crazy. So this is pretty cool and I’m going to enjoy it.”