Bills offload SA’s De Beer

Emme McConnell

The Buffalo Bills – from the National Football League – released offensive lineman Gerhard de Beer this week, according to the player’s Twitter account.

De Beer, a native of Pretoria, moved to the US six years ago to play American football at the University of Arizona as an offensive lineman, essentially a body guard who prevents defending players from tackling the ball carrier.

He was signed to the Bills as a free agent earlier this year after graduating. De Beer then survived a grueling preseason where the roster is trimmed from 90 to 75 to 53 players.

De Beer eventually made the Bills’ practice squad on September 1, a group of players that trains with the team but doesn’t play in games, but was released this week after the team’s crushing 47-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.