Jarryd Hayne Believes God Called Him Away From the NFL
Australian Rugby star Jarryd Hayne believes God called him away from his NFL dreams that brought him to the United States last year.
Although he announced his NFL retirement last May so that he could try out for the Fiji Rugby Sevens team that would allow him to participate in the upcoming Olympic games, the 28-year-old did not make the cut. In a Facebook post announcing that he would not be joining the Fiji Olympic team, Hayne revealed that he would be returning home to Australia and take some time off.
"It was hard to comprehend and understand at first why I came here? Why God put me here, but deep down I knew there was a reason and a purpose," he wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday. "God takes you places not so you can achieve what you set out for, but to play a part and help something greater than yourself."
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Hayne insisted he did not worry about failing when trying his hand at these sports because he believes God wanted him to have the life experience.
"I just didn't worry about that sort of stuff. I was more concerned about going on the adventure, or going where God was calling me — or at least testing me," he told The Spinoff. "That was the biggest thing for me, and I achieved that.Take away the football, the NFL, the fame."
The athlete faced pressure during his short lived stint with the San Francisco 49ers, but believes giving that weight to God helped him overcome.
"I put it on God's shoulders," he said. "If I believe God's called me to do something, God's going to take a lot of pressure off me. That was big for me."
From the National Rugby League to the NFL and tryouts with Fiji Rugby Sevens, Hayne's focus remains on God mapping out his journey.
"It's been such a God journey more than anything else. To be able to go to another sport and another country, another culture — something I hadn't experienced before — that was huge," he said. "I needed God more than anything else because there were a lot of dark days [in the NFL]. I think just in general as a person I want to take myself out of my comfort zone and go on an adventure."
In 2014, Hayne was honored as the top player in the NRL before announcing that he would walk away from a $1 million contract to join the NFL. He let the world know how much of a faith walk the transition would be for him.
"I just want to give a lot of thank yous to a lot of people that played big roles in this journey, and give honor where honor is due, and first and foremost it's God. My faith has led me this far," he said at last year's news conference. "The hard stuff starts now. This is a huge risk. I'm taking a massive leap of faith."
