Athletics
The American hurdler fails again in his attempt to play for the Philadelphia Eagles: now he must decide whether to return or endure a year in the subsidiary
Devon Allen, training in the uniform of the Philadelphia Eagles AFP
29/08/2023
Updated at 8:49 p.m.
Embrace or squeeze The old dilemma. Devon Allen, one of the best athletes in the world in the 110 meter hurdles, has received a new blow this Tuesday. The Philadelphia Eagles, the American football team in which he has been training for two years, the one that ruled him out last season as a starter, has once again despised his physical talent, his speed, his flexibility as a hurdler. Yesterday the Eagles announced their ‘roster’ (the 53 footballers who are going to make up their squad this season) and once again ruled out Allen, who can choose to continue in the training subsidiary team. Football seems to need other skills that Allen lacks.
Devon Allen, 28, originally from Phoenix, Arizona, has always combined athletics and the sport of oval ball. At the University of Oregon he triumphed over the hurdles, reaching the gold medal at the 2014 College Nationals. He did this by combining it with excellent performances on the college football team, in which he played three seasons as a wide receiver.
Last year was bitter for the athlete from Arizona. At the World Championships in Oregon, when he was one of the favorites for the podium in the 110m hurdles, he was disqualified for a false start ruled by a single thousandth of a second. A very hard blow that he decided to compensate with his commitment to the Philadelphia Eagles, in professional football. A month later came the bad news. He was ruled out for the starting team and sent to the practice squad, the subsidiary team that is used as ‘sparring’ in training, facing him against the starting squad.
Allen now has a difficult decision. Leave the Eagles altogether (saying goodbye to $250,000) to focus on preparing for the 110-meter hurdles at the Paris’24 Games or stay on the team and try for another year with a view to being chosen in August of next year. The sport is being tough on Devon. It has been another summer to forget.
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2023-08-29 18:39:02
#NFL #doesnt #catch
