JAY AJAYI walked out of last year’s Super Bowl in despair — now the Brit is within one victory of achieving his dream
The Philadelphia Eagles running back watched last year’s dramatic showpiece from the stands, worried that he would never get the chance to land the sport’s biggest prize.
British-born Ajayi was then with the lowly Miami Dolphins and only attended the New England Patriots’ dramatic comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in an ambassadorial role for NFL UK.
He explained: “I was at the game up until the third-quarter but I got fed up because I couldn’t take the fact I was watching the Super Bowl and wasn’t playing in it.
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“At the time, being at the Dolphins and watching the Patriots, it was really uncomfortable for me so I left early. I promised myself I wouldn’t go back to the Super Bowl unless I was playing.
“I’m glad everything worked out and this year, instead of shaking hands and doing analysis, I’m playing. This is a dream come true — it’s crazy how things happen.”
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Ajayi swapped Miami for Philadelphia in October and shed tears after the Eagles thrashed Minnesota 38-7 to reach tonight’s showdown against the Patriots.
He admitted: “It was the realisation of the opportunity of playing in the Super Bowl, the big stage, something that any kid that’s grown up loving the game has dreamt about.”
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Ajayi was born in London to Nigerian parents before the family moved to the United States in 2000 when he was aged just seven.
An impressive career in college football saw him grab 50 touchdowns in three years at Boise State University, which led him to being selected in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by Miami Dolphins.
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Ajayi’s rookie year started late due to injury and he even missed the chance to play at Wembley when the Dolphins came over to take on the New York Jets.
But he burst on to the scene last season and emerged as one of the leading running-backs in the league, helping Miami reach the play-offs.
He became just the fourth player in history to have back-to-back 200-yard rushing games. But that made it all the more surprising when Miami traded him to Philadelphia for just a fourth-round draft pick midway through the season.
Ajayi had just seen his struggling Dolphins blown out 20-0 by the New Orleans Saints at Wembley in front of his home UK fans.
Having been the cornerstone of the Miami offense for 12 months, Ajayi was now forced to fight his way into an Eagles team that was already flying.
He said: “I believed I was in a place where I could succeed.
“From the moment I got traded I understood that the Eagles were a contender, so that was exciting for me.
“I came from a team where we were not performing well to a team that was successful, had a great locker room, a brotherhood and I felt welcomed and appreciated.
“I was able to take a breath and recollect and understand every- thing that went on.
“I was grateful of where I ended up. It was really about getting here and doing what I could with my ability to help this team. For everything to come true it’s a blessing but it’s not just about making it — we want to win.”
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Ajayi will have his very own British contingent cheering him on at the US Bank Stadium, including family members who are still learning the sport’s complex rules.
He added: “I will have about 15 people come to the game so that will be fun for my family to experience that.
“They’ve been following my career since I got into the NFL.
“They’ve gone to a few games and seen me play at Wembley and they’ve started to get more and more into what’s going on.
“They’re getting more educated and it’s been really cool to see them continue to learn the game.
“The support from the UK and London has been amazing. Getting tweets and the social media platforms behind me has been great.
“I enjoy being a face for the UK, I take a lot of pride in that.
“I’m excited when my career goes further I’ll be able to do more in London to create exposure and awareness.
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