Louis Rees-Zammit encountered 'intimidating' issue as NFL icons lift lid on struggles

Several former NFL converts have already explained why Louis Rees-Zammit failed to break into the sport before returning to rugby. Last year, the Welshman announced that he was retiring in order to pursue his NFL dream through the International Player Pathway Programme (IPPP). However, the move fell flat and he is now preparing to resume his rugby career.

Rees-Zammit was initially snapped up by the Kansas City Chiefs but did not play a single minute after failing to impress in pre-season. He went on to join the Jacksonville Jaguars but spent the entire 2024 campaign as a member of their practice squad. Last week, the 24-year-old revealed that he was giving up on his NFL dream and heading back to rugby.

He is far from the only player to have attempted the switch in the past, with several others also trying their luck and falling by the wayside.

Christian Wade, the former England international who spent three seasons in the Buffalo Bills' practice squad, previously said that learning the playbook was the hardest part of his NFL experience.

"It is quite intimidating but there's a method to it," he told BBC Sport. "You have to learn the terminology and how to dissect it so that you can retain the information, then in a few hours put that into practice. Then do the same in the afternoon and the next day."

Another NFL convert, Christian Scotland-Williamson, has since given up on his sporting career to become a barrister. Incredibly, he got along better with his legal training than he did learning the ins and outs of an NFL playbook.

"Learning both of these [law books] was easier than learning an NFL playbook, which is absolutely absurd," he explained.

"Doing all that [legal training], I still wasn't working as hard as I had to when I went to the NFL. It recalibrates what you think is hard."

Even after learning a playbook, there are still plenty of major obstacles for rugby players to overcome. Those who have progressed through the American school system have spent years getting to grips with the intricacies of the sport.

NFL teams also have a huge pool of college players to choose from, leaving crossover athletes like Rees-Zammit at an immediate disadvantage.

Osi Umenyiora, a two-time Super Bowl winner, explained: "I think Rees-Zammit is a fantastic athlete but in terms of pace and athleticism, there's maybe 500 of those guys in Florida alone.

"It's usually a lot more difficult for players like that. You have to be unparalleled. You have to be superior athletically to be able to learn the game and then break through."

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