A few months after clinching the gold medal at Paris Olympics 2024 in discus throw, Jamaica’s Rojé Stona is up for a new challenge. He is now gearing up to tackle in the National Football League (NFL).
The 25-year-old is one of 14 athletes selected for the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) programme intake in January. It is a 10-week crash course for athletes from around the world to learn the skills and technique needed to succeed in the NFL and give them the opportunity to earn a roster spot.
“After the Olympics, [the IPP] reached out again. I was like, ‘Yo, the door’s open’ again,” Stona told reporters. “Of course, I’m [going to] 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.”
Stona has developed a keen interest in football off-late. Earlier this year, the athlete participated in Arkansas football’s pro day and has attended minicamps with both the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers.
According to NFL scouts, the 6’7″, 270-pound Rojé Stona could be a strong contender for the defensive line or tight end.
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“I’m a bit of a sponge,” he added. “Going behind the scenes, you see just how much strategy is involved in the game, but I have a lot of curiosity.
The 10-week IPP program is set to begin next month in Florida. Stona expressed excitement on foraying into a new sport.
“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 [an] 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.”
Stona has not played a competitive game of American football at any level. However, he said he fell in love with American football after being invited to watch a game while studying in South Carolina at Clemson University, whose team became national champions in 2017 and 2019.
He said, “My first reaction when I got to the stadium was ‘there’s a lot of people here’. I am talking the type of crowd you’d see at the Olympics or World Championships – and they had this at a college football game.
“I went to more and more games, became more interested, then started watching the NFL. Then my goals just sort of shifted and I thought, ‘I might have a shot at this. I should try it out.’
As Stona embarks on a new journey, it remains to be seen how successfully he climbs up the ladder in his NFL campaign. For now, defending his Olympic title in Los Angeles in 2028 takes a back seat.
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