Sammis Reyes – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sammis Daniel Reyes Martel (Talcahuano, Chile; October 19, 1995) is a Chilean professional football player. He plays in the tight end position and is currently a member of the Washington Football Team of the National Football League (NFL). He grew up playing with the Chilean basketball team and moved to the United States at age 14 after receiving a basketball scholarship. He played college basketball before switching to football in the early 2020s. Reyes became the first Chilean to sign an NFL contract upon joining Washington in 2021.

Basketball[editar]

Sammis Daniel Reyes Martel was born in Talcahuano, Chile on October 19, 1995.^[1]He grew up in Santiago playing soccer and basketball with aspirations to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).^[2]​^[3]A member of the Chilean basketball team as power forward, he accepted a scholarship from Wesley Prep in South Florida after touring the area with the team and moved there on his own at the age of 14.^[4]Reyes moved to North Broward in Coconut Creek, Florida, after Wesley Prep closed within half a year of his attendance.^[5]​^[6]He had no prior knowledge of English before leaving Chile and had to quickly learn the language himself which he did through music and film.^[7]​

Reyes signed a letter of intent to play college basketball at the University of Hawaii in 2014, but suffered a hand injury in the preseason that forced him to miss the season.^[8]​^[9]He would later decide to drop out of college after being unable to play and disagreeing with the team’s decision to fire the head coach mid-season. He returned home to Florida saying he “preferred” to recover from his injuries there than in Hawaii. Reyes then spent a semester at Palm Beach State College before transferring back to Tulane University in 2016, where he spent two seasons but played in just two games in 2017 after opting out due to dissatisfaction with his time. of game.^[10]​^[11]Despite that, he would graduate from Tulane with a Master of Business Administration and play his final year of college eligibility at Loyola University New Orleans in 2018.^[11]In addition to college basketball, Reyes continued to participate with the Chilean basketball team in international events such as the 2011 FIBA ​​Americas U-16 Championship and the FIBA ​​Americas qualifying rounds for the 2019 Basketball World Cup.^[12]​

Football[editar]

After qualifying for the 2019 Basketball World Cup Reyes made the decision to become a football player and joined the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) of the National Football League (NFL) as a tight end prospect.^[3]He had previously been asked by North Broward coaches to play the sport but he declined because he believed the increased risk of injury would hamper his chances of getting on an NBA roster.^[13]He spent 10 weeks training at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida before participating with other IPPP players in Pro Day, a showcase for college athletes, at the University of Florida on March 31, 2021.^[7]​

Reyes received the interest of several NFL teams in that country due to his performance before deciding to sign with the Washington Football Team on April 13, 2021 as he lived in the Washington DC metropolitan area and liked lace.^[3]​^[7]​^[14]He became the first Chilean to be a member of an NFL team with the signing. He was also selected by the Toronto Argonauts in the fourth round of the Canadian Football League Global Draft that took place on April 15, 2021.^[15]​

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