Louis Rees-Zammit announces return to rugby union after leaving NFL
Welsh rugby
American football
Louis Rees-Zammit has announced that he is leaving the NFL to return to rugby union.
His decision comes just 18 months after he left rugby to pursue a career in American football.
While the 24-year-old had spells with the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, he never played in a regular season game.
The announcement came through an Instagram post on Thursday (31 July) night, featuring Rees-Zammit in his Wales shirt.
"I've got an exciting announcement to make," he wrote.
"I've decided to leave the NFL and return to rugby. It's been a great experience but it's time to come home.
"I've decided that this is the best time to make this decision to give myself time to get everything in place for next season.
"There's only one thing that's on my mind, that's coming back to rugby and doing what I do best. I can't explain how excited I am.
"There'll be more news to come soon but for now, see you soon rugby fans."
Rees-Zammit made 32 appearances for Wales before announcing in January 2024 that he would retire from rugby union in order to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL via its International Player Pathway Program.
He signed an active roster deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 2025 season after being part of their practice squad for the 2024 season and travelled to London for the games against the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots in October.
Rees-Zammit's return also comes as recently-appointed Wales head coach, Steve Tandy, takes over a side that only ended an 18-match losing streak that lasted almost two years with a hard-fought win over Japan last month.
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