Patriots' Ebner selected to U.S. rugby team at Rio 2016
New England Patriots safety Nate Ebner has been selected to represent the U.S. as part of its rugby sevens squad at the Rio Olympics, USA Rugby announced Monday.
Rugby was Ebner's first love. He was the youngest-ever player to represent the U.S. men's sevens team at age 17 and an All-American in the sport at Ohio State before the Patriots drafted him in the sixth round in 2012.
How Ebner's inclusion on the squad will affect his NFL career remains to be seen. He took a leave of absence from the Patriots to spend his offseason focusing on rugby and will miss training camp. Nonetheless, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has said he expects Ebner to be ready for the regular season.
Former Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best is the other athlete with NFL experience set to compete in Rio. He will compete in track and field for St. Lucia.