Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterDec 9, 2024, 10:37 AM ET
- • Joined ESPN in 2011
• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours
• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018
Reigning Olympic men's discus champion Roje Stona of Jamaica has switched sports and will try out for the NFL through its International Player Pathway program.
Stona, 25, will hope to emulate the career of former professional rugby player Jordan Mailata, who progressed through the IPP to earn a place on an active roster with the Philadelphia Eagles. Stona will be joined on the 14-player IPP by Australian rugby star Jordan Petaia along with athletes from Fiji, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.
Stona, a former track and field star for the University of Arkansas who took Olympic gold in Paris in August, was contacted soon after that triumph and presented with the chance of taking up a spot in the 10-week IPP program. Stona has previous experience with American football, having participated in Arkansas football's pro day in March and participating in minicamps with the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers last spring.
Scouts at the pro day said he had the skill set to try out as both a defensive end and tight end.
Stona decided to test his arm by competing in discus and prioritized that, culminating with an Olympic-record throw of 70 meters in Paris.
"After the Olympics, [the IPP] reached out again. I was like, 'Yo, the door's open' again," Stona told ESPN's Alexis Nunes. "Of course, I'm take it. At the Olympics, I won gold, got a record. And after that offseason, they approached me again, so I took up the opportunity."
Since the IPP program started, 41 international players have signed with teams, with 23 IPP athletes currently on NFL rosters and five on active rosters -- Mailata (Australia), Efe Obada (Commanders/United Kingdom), Sammis Reyes (Vikings/Chile), Thomas Odukoya (Titans/Netherlands) and David Bada (Lions/Germany).
Stona said he enjoys watching the offenses of the Lions and Chiefs and admires the Eagles', Ravens' and Vikings' defenses. His interest in the sport started by following Clemson, where he began his collegiate track and field career before transferring to Arkansas.
Stona is still weighing his options. He has kept the door open for a return to the discus, but his immediate focus is on impressing in the IPP camp, which starts in January in Florida.
"It is a lot of variables. A lot of things can happen in a few months, you know what I mean?" Stona said. "So it's hard to put opinion on what's going to happen, but obviously I'm going to take it a step at a time. First, I'm going to make sure I try to go through this camp successfully."
