U.S. Olympic track athlete Jeff Demps isn't giving up on his NFL career. In fact, he hopes to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sometime during training camp.
Demps' agent, Daniel Rose, told Stephen Holder of The Tampa Bay Times on Friday that the former University of Florida football player plans to join the Bucs in the "coming weeks," depending on his track schedule. It's uncertain if Demps will be asked to join the relay team at the IAAF World Championships, which end Aug. 18 in Moscow.
If Demps isn't asked to be part of the relay team, it sounds like he might return relatively soon to the Bucs. At worst, it sounds like Demps wants to return to the Bucs late next month.
Demps was traded to Tampa Bay by the New England Patriots as part of a deal that included LeGarrette Blount. The Patriots, who signed Demps after last year's Olympics, didn't want to allow him to split his time between track and football. Demps got on the Patriots' practice field quickly after the Olympics, although he didn't make much of an impact before being placed on injured reserve last August.
It's an interesting story, but the odds on Demps ever making a big impact as a return man in the NFL remain slim.
UPDATE: According to Rose, the speedster indeed has made the relay team for the IAFF World Championships. Demps will not make any decisions on football until the world championships conclude.
"He's had dialogue with Tampa Bay," Rose told SBNation.com, "and they've been supportive of him running track and doing both sports. At the end of the season, in the middle of August, he'll make a decision; nothing's final yet. Jeff is going to focus on track and then he'll focus on whatever's next."
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