Sophia Michaels
Jay Ajayi is going pro again.
The former Philadelphia Eagles running back is starting his professional gaming career with a different kind of football. The Philadelphia Union eMLS team announced on Tuesday that it signed Ajayi, a Super Bowl winning running back, to a contract that will turn him pro in 2020.
Ajayi, an avid FIFA player, is currently unsigned in the NFL and appears to be pivoting to a new kind of franchise. While many pro sports teams have claimed stakes in eSports endeavors, Ajayi is one of the rare athletes to turn pro in two very different sports. And he seems pretty excited about it happening in Philadelphia, where he helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl in 2017.
“Philadelphia will always hold a special place in my heart,” Ajayi said in a statement on Tuesday. “I am blessed to be able to represent the city through e-sports and to be one of the first pro athletes to become a professional gamer. Representing the Philadelphia Union for eMLS combines two of my greatest passions outside of football, soccer and gaming. I’m a competitor, so you’re going to see me give my all for the Union at every eMLS event this year.”
Ajayi will compete with the Union’s eMLS team as it competes in the 2020 eMLS Cup campaign, which kicks off on Jan. 10 in Philadelphia.
Written by: Uproxx
