1 week Ago By [email protected] (Ben James)
Louis Rees-Zammit has shared that he received a hand-written note from pop star Taylor Swift as he opened up about the 'brutal' manner in which he left the Kansas City Chiefs. The ex-Wales international had inked a deal with the Super Bowl champions earlier this year after swapping rugby for American football, only to be dropped before the season's end after failing to make their 53-man squad. He's currently part of the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice team as he strives towards his dream of playing in the NFL .
However, the process of being dropped by the Chiefs was a "cut-throat" one, with the Welshman receiving the news via a text message. In a chat with former Scotland second-row Jim Hamilton on RugbyPass TV's Walk the Talk , Rees-Zammit disclosed that it wasn't Chiefs head coach Andy Reid who delivered the news - with the 23 year old having not heard from Reid since departing Arrowhead. "The thing with American football compared to pretty much any other sport is when you sign that contract, you have guaranteed money in that contract," he explained.
"If you don't have guaranteed money, they can cut you at any point. "That's what happened to me. I went for a training camp and then there's a day when everyone is in the building and they just start cutting players as they have to make a 53-man squad.
It's cut-throat. They've got a whole group of player personnel and scouts. They've got so many people for so many different position so you just get a text message.
"It's honestly just brutal. You're all in the building and you get a text to basically say can you bring your iPad and meet them in a certain room. That's when you know.
If you don't get the message, you're in the team. If you do like I did, I got the message, went upstairs and spoke to player personnel. Had some positive chats with them.
"But at the end of the day, I wanted to play receiver. They've got a strong receiving group at Kansas City. The Jags allowed me to be on their practice squad which is amazing.
I got calls from Andy Reid and the general manager Brett Veach asking me to join the Chiefs. I had that from 10 other teams. I didn't hear anything after I got cut but that's just the business.
" "I knew how cut-throat it was. And now I've experienced how cut-throat it is. You just get on with it.
I'm not going to beg them to say so it's just onto the next job. I'm as happy as ever at the Jags." Since switching sports, Rees-Zammit has endured some online abuse - even revealing that his phone number was leaked, resulting in him getting messages and calls from random people.
"There was a lot more s**t than there was positivity," he added. "A load of DMs. My number getting leaked.
People messaging me and Facetiming me. I'm just trying to chase my dream. People can say what they want, but at the end of the day, this is my dream to be in the NFL and make this happen.
" "I'm chasing it. I'm not thinking what other people are thinking about me. I know I have the ability to do this but it's just about doing it.
The more you listen to the hate, the more it can get in your head. I just leave it to one side and focus on what I can control." However, he has had some positive interactions - with pop star Swift penning a hand-written note for the former Gloucester wing during his time at the Chiefs.
Swift is the partner of Chiefs tight-end Travis Kelce, with the Welshman turning the conversation to Swift after noticing a poster featuring her while walking with Hamilton. "I didn't get to meet her," he said. "I went to a concert and I got a hand-written note from her.
This was before training camp so it was just like 'good luck for the season, good luck for training camp, I heard you're doing well' - stuff like that. "It's at home. It's in Cardiff.
I didn't bring it out to America with me. That was pretty crazy, getting a letter from Taylor Swift. That was kind of the life I was in and I was just rolling with it.
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