In years past, NFL teams have shown interest in Olympian sprinters for their straight-line speed. In 2020, one of the NFL's fastest — Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs — is interested in the Olympics to show off his wheels.
During Super Bowl media availability, the Chiefs star said he would like to see if he could qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
“Hopefully after this season, if I’m healthy and my mind is still in the right place, I really want to try to qualify for some Olympic teams,” Hill said, via Pro Football Talk.
Hill said his idea to become an Olympian is nothing new. He's thought about it for some time. The problem, however, is that it may get in the way of his football life. His body is not ready to compete against the world's fastest. It's ready to take hits in the NFL.
“But the thing is, I weigh like 195 right now. Back in high school, when I ran a 9.9[-second 100-meter dash], I was like 175. So it would be me changing my whole diet that I’ve been doing to get to where I am now,” Hill said.
The NFL has seen its athletes compete in the Olympics. Most recently, New England Patriots safety and special teams standout Nate Ebner played on the U.S' Rugby Sevens team in the 2016 Olympics. San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin competed in the 2012 Olympics — when he was at the University of Texas — in the long jump in track and field.
The Chiefs wideout is a long shot to compete in the Olympics in 2020. He has speed, but he hasn't trained as most Olympians have. Nonetheless, his attempt to do so should be interesting to track.
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