Down GAA star Charlie Smyth is taking inspiration from Green Bay Packers punter as his NFL ambition comes closer.
Mayobridge native Smyth dreamed of playing alongside Green Bay Packers punter Dan Whelan.
A Down Gaelic footballer chosen for the NFL International Player Pathway has stated he is inspired by the first Irishman to compete in the league in nearly 40 years.
Charlie Smyth, 22, of Mayobridge, said he hopes to one day play alongside Green Bay Packers punter Dan Whelan, who is from Enniskerry in County Wicklow.
Speaking to IrishStar.com, he said: “I guess Dan Whelan is obviously the best player. My main specialty is kickboxing, so who knows.
“In the future, he could be the holder and I could be the kicker, possibly on field goal counts. “We will see what happens.”
Smyth is one of four Irishmen chosen for the NFL’s International Player Pathway. Monaghan goalkeeper Rory Beggan, Wicklow footballer Mark Jackson, and Co Galway rugby player Darragh Leader will join Smyth at the NFL Combine next month in Indianapolis.
The Irish players will train at the IMG Academy and have the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities to NFL club scouts in March.
The players will be eligible to fill practice squad roster spaces for 32 NFL teams and may compete in the following season if signed.
Smyth, a Tailteann Cup runner-up with Down in 2023, said an offseason meeting with an Irish coach in the US inspired him to play American football.
He explained, “I’ve been a great admirer of the sport for seven or eight years. I spotted Tadhg Leader’s profile on Twitter around a year ago and wondered if I should give it a try.
“I finally bit the bullet and said, ‘You know what, why not give it a go?'”
Tadhg Leader, whose brother Darragh Leader was also chosen, is an Irish-born rugby union player who coaches placekicking in the United States.
Smyth continued: “If you had asked me this time last year, would you be doing this? To be honest, I think I would have laughed.
“But now it’s arrived. It is unbelievable. I am willing to give it my best attempt. One thing I believe I’m doing well right now is enjoying the journey. Sessions by sessions, week by week.
“I want to improve at this. “I want to improve.”
Smyth grew raised outside of Newry, the ancestral home of the Rooney family, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ principal owners and operators.
He went on to say: “To think that the owners of an NFL team have their roots where I’m from, essentially, a five-minute drive from where they come from is a bit mad.”
Smyth is Ireland’s youngest participant to the NFL International Player Pathway Program. Monaghan goalkeeper Rory Beggan, who was also chosen, is his idol, and Smyth says he is excited to play with him.
