FAMILY’S SUPPORT IS VITAL FOR LRZ
AS LOUIS Rees-Zammit prepares to head into the unknown, jetting off for a crack at the NFL with Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs, he’ll at least head stateside with a useful support network close by.
His brother Taylor will join him in the US this summer, while his parents, Joe and Maxine, are expected to follow suit later in the year.
As families go, it’s one with a fair bit of sporting pedigree.
Mum Maxine played netball for Wales, while his dad Joe – the inspiration behind his switch to the NFL – played American football for Cardiff Tigers and Oxford Saints in the 1980s.
It’s from his dad Joe that Rees-Zammit gained his lifelong support for the Washington Commanders, previously saying: “My dad’s been a massive fan of them since he was a little boy.”
While Rees-Zammit, born in Penarth, is already receiving messages from future Hall of Fame candidates like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, his father also rubbed shoulders with names from the NFL during his time with the Tigers.
Tigers quarter-back Steve Pisarkiewicz, who played in Cardiff between 1986 and 1988, was a first-round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft.
However, despite being the 19th pick by the St Louis Cardinals, Pisarkiewicz managed just five matches in his NFL career before spells in the Canadian Football League, the short-lived United States Football League (interestingly killed off by New Jersey Generals owner and Donald Trump after the future US president attempted to go head-to-head with the NFL) and finally Europe.
As for Zammit, quite fittingly given his son’s own trajectory, he was known as a dangerous runner and played in a number of different positions on offence.
Louis has said of his dad and his NFL journey: “As a little boy, my dad always brought me up to be a big NFL fan. He used to play American football, so it is kind of to try to continue his legacy and hopefully go beyond and make him proud. That is the sport he grew up loving.”
Rees-Zammit’s brother, Taylor, 27, has also played a hand in the journey to the NFL. Up until 2020, the Wales wing, despite his love of American football and the frequency with which he would mention his desire to play it around Wales camp, didn’t own a helmet or set of pads. But, when the Covid lockdowns hit, that all changed. With no rugby on the table, Rees-Zammit trained with Taylor in Cardiff, getting a useful start on skills like tracking the ball while wearing a helmet and catching passes over his shoulder.
For his part in it, Taylor, who also attended the Cathedral School in Llandaff, turned makeshift quarterback – even if his spiral wasn’t too tight to begin with. “He was rubbish at the start,” Rees-Zammit told the Wall Street Journal recently.
As well as being a helpful presence on the training field, Taylor has made a name in rugby for himself. As well as playing for Llandaff RFC as a number eight, he is also an international in the sport, having played for his grandfather’s native land, Malta.
The back-row made his Malta debut against Slovenia on the same day ReesZammit faced the All Blacks in 2021.
The brothers are extremely close, recently launching an energy drinks business together called Savitar. Taylor will be in charge of getting the product out to market in the US when he moves over in July.
He is his younger brother’s biggest fan, following his career closely and attending all his matches.
In 2020, he told us: “I probably haven’t missed a game he has played home and away in three years.
“When I was in Manchester University, I used to get the train down to Hartpury on a Wednesday morning, watch his game for the college and then get the train straight back up to Manchester.
“To be honest, I don’t enjoy anything more. I couldn’t think of anything better than going to watch him. It’s not like a difficult decision for me, the same for our parents.
“We are in quite a fortunate position where me and my parents are all self-employed, so we sort of prioritise the rugby and I can’t see that changing any time soon, to be honest.”
Continuing the rugby theme, ReesZammit’s uncle Paul “Pablo” Rees played full-back for Cardiff and Pontypridd in the 1980s.