Nate Ebner won’t fly home from Rio with a medal around his neck, but the New England Patriots safety will carry back some valuable lessons learned during the United States rugby sevens team’s disappointing showing at the 2016 Olympics.
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Danny Barrett scored first for the USA against Fiji but the Americans went into the break trailing 12-7.
Nate Ebner, left, on his way to scoring a try during the US team’s match against Fiji at the Rio Olympics, Aug. 10, 2016.
Ebner, who also worked on special teams to help the Patriots capture Super Bowl XLIX a year ago, was given permission by the team last March to chase his Olympic dream, making him the only National Football League (NFL) player with a chance to capture gold in Brazil. Once Ebner steps on the pitch, he will become the first active National Football League player to compete at a Summer Olympics.
United States’s Nate Ebner, during the men’s rugby sevens match against Brazil at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016.
“We’ve come from being given less than a 10 percent chance of even making the Olympics to being here and being contenders”, Friday said, according to USARugby.org. Team USA needed to win, draw, or lose by less than four points to get to the quarterfinals. It remains to be seen exactly when Ebner will rejoin the Patriots, who open their preseason schedule Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints.
Player Nate Ebner, who learned the game from his late father, who played college rugby, has similar hopes for the sport.
“It’s been awesome. I wouldn’t have done anything differently”, Ebner told The Associated Press. “Rugby’s for me, “‘ Isles said.
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US vs. Brazil: Tuesday, August 9 at 5 p.m. “So, it’s a very safe game and I think people will see it and watch and there’s the contact”.
