The NFL, the professional American football league, announced on Wednesday the launch of a weekly series about Sammis Reyes, the first Chilean to play in the league, in which the former tight end will talk about his experiences, including the concussion that ended his career just a few months ago, at the age of 28.
"Sammis is a talented professional with experience of being not only a Latinx player in the NFL, but the first Chilean player in the league. We hope that Sammis will share his stories and expand the reach of our game to Latinos around the world," said Javier Farfán, the league's director of cultural strategy.
The show in which the former tight end will appear, in the coming days, will be called 'NFL Cultura with Sammis Reyes', a weekly series for Mundo NFL in which he will offer insights and commentary on his experiences.
Reyes, who played for Washington, the Chicago Bears, and the Jacksonville Jaguars, expressed pride in this invitation.
"As a Latinx athlete and former NFL player, I am no stranger to adversity, challenges have been my main motivation in life. It is a true honor to connect with this growing fan base," accepted the former player.
Sammis Reyes, 28 years old, was preparing to play his first season with the Jaguars in 2023, but in July of this year, he suffered a head injury during training that put him in the concussion protocol a couple of weeks before the first preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Seeing that the aftermath of the injury prevented him from returning to training, the Talcahuano-born player chose to retire to avoid a serious situation.
"A couple of weeks ago, I suffered a concussion that has lingered longer than I expected. It was after seven sleepless days and painful symptoms that I realized this was not doing well for me or my family, so I've decided to retire from the NFL," explained Reyes on August 14th.
The former tight end joined the NFL through the International Pathway Program (IPP), which selects players from around the world.
Reyes impressed the Washington coaches, with whom he was in 2021. He played in 11 games, one of them as a starter.
In 2022, he moved to the Bears, where he remained on the practice squad. For 2023, he joined the Jaguars, who had him in mind for this season.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this project and look forward to giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to be an NFL player," he concluded.