by
Jahvid Best
The Detroit Lions have never had the most success on the gridiron.
Now one of their more speedy former players will set out to try his luck on the Olympic track.
Jahvid Best, a Lions first-round pick out of California in 2010, will be representing the island nation of St. Lucia at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio. Best will be competing in the 100-meter dash.
There was a great deal of optimism surrounding Best when he joined the Lions from Cal. He’d been one of the fastest players in college football, and the organization hoped he would bring some sizzle to a running back position that had been severely lacking in that department since Barry Sanders’ retirement.
Unfortunately, repeated concussions kept Best on the injury list frequently and his NFL career lasted just two short years.
Best was born in California, but is permitted to run for St. Lucia because of his father’s dual citizenship.
The 10.16 time that Best recorded to qualify for the games will almost assuredly not be good enough to medal in Rio, but it remains a major accomplishment to get this far; Best now becomes the first former NFL player to appear in a Summer Olympics.
Other NFL’ers have been summer Olympians, but they did so prior to their playing career, not after.
