Olympic discus champion Roje Stona has made a bold move by transitioning from track and field to the NFL. The 25-year-old Jamaican gold medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics is set to join the NFL through the league’s International Player Pathway (IPP) program, which assists athletes from other sports in making a career in American football.
Stona is no stranger to football. He was a standout track and field athlete at the University of Arkansas, where he also participated in their pro day, an event where NFL teams evaluate potential players. Prior to Arkansas, he attended Clemson, a football powerhouse, where he developed a passion for the sport. This spring, he trained at minicamps with the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers.
NFL scouts see Stona, who stands at 6ft 7in and weighs 270lbs, as a potential fit on the defensive line or at tight end. “After the Olympics, [the IPP] reached out again. I was like, ‘Yo, the door’s open’ again,” Stona told ESPN. “Of course, I’m taking it. At the Olympics, I won gold, got a record. And after that offseason, they approached me again, so I took up the opportunity.”
While many athletes in the 10-week IPP program do not make it to an NFL team, there have been success stories. Australia’s Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player, is a notable example. He went through the IPP and became a star with the Philadelphia Eagles, recently signing a three-year, $66m contract extension. Other IPP players on active NFL rosters include Britain’s Efe Obada (Washington Commanders), Chile’s Sammis Reyes (Minnesota Vikings), the Netherlands’ Thomas Odukoya (Tennessee Titans), and Germany’s David Bada (Detroit Lions).
This year’s IPP also includes Australian rugby international Jordan Petaia and Ireland’s Aaron Sexton. In January, Wales’s Louis Rees-Zammit, who gave up an international rugby career, joined the IPP. Initially picked up by the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, he is now on the practice squad of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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