SaqLouis Rees-Zammit made his first appearance for the Kansas City Chiefs in an NFL preseason friendly loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 23-year-old former Wales winger hit the headlines in January when he quit rugby union to pursue a new career in American football.
Rees-Zammit, who later signed a three-year contract with the defending Super Bowl champions, played running back, kicker and kick returner in Saturday’s game, in addition to being part of the punt coverage team.
“It was a great first experience,” he told the Irish NFL Show after the Chiefs’ 26-13 loss at EverBank Stadium in Florida.
“I loved it, I loved taking the shots that I did, on special teams too, which was awesome. I just have to go back and watch it again and see how I can improve.”
“The atmosphere was great, there was a lot of electricity in the stadium and there were a lot of Chiefs fans there which helped a lot. It was a great game and I’m looking forward to the next one.”
The Chiefs, who open the NFL regular season against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5, continue their preseason games at home against the Detroit Lions next Saturday.
Elsewhere, former Gaelic football goalkeeper Charlie Smyth marked his New Orleans Saints debut by scoring a spectacular field goal to secure a 16-14 pre-season win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The 22-year-old Irish rookie, who like Rees-Zammit joined the NFL’s International Player Pathway program earlier this year, converted from 37 yards with just five seconds remaining.
“I thought it was awesome,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said at a news conference.
“It was great to see him score his first kick in an American football game in such a stressful situation. It was great to see him score like that.”
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