NFL Londoner Jermaine Eluemunor hoping to make top-tier debut at Wembley
Saturday 23 September 2017 00:20, UK
Londoner Jermaine Eluemunor returned home for the first time in six years on Friday as the centre of attention for Baltimore Ravens' clash with Jacksonville Jaguars, live on Sky Sports.
Eluemunor, a rookie offensive lineman with the Ravens, is yet to make his debut in American football's top tier, but this weekend he is the poster boy for the growth of the sport on these shores.
It was watching the first International Series game at Wembley on television 10 years ago that inspired Eluemunor, who was born near Wembley in Chalk Farm and moved to the United States at 14, to take up the sport.
A decade later he is back as an NFL player - a British American football success story every bit as important for the sport's appeal as the four sold-out games across Wembley and Twickenham this season.
As Eluemunor alluded to when meeting the press on Friday ahead of the Ravens' encounter with the Jacksonville Jaguars, offensive linemen in the NFL are not usually recognisable figures, but he is a special case and Twitter have even made a 'Moment' of his journey back home.
"I think it's kind of fun," he said of being in the spotlight.
"I had no idea I was going to be in this position. I prayed for it every day. I did all the little things I possibly could - push-ups at night or running up and down my staircase doing little foot drills because I couldn't afford a gym pass.
"I'm going to have fun, regardless. I don't feel under any pressure to be someone I'm not. I'm just going to be myself and I feel like that's good enough."
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Eluemunor has been inactive for the Ravens' opening two wins but a series of injuries across the offensive line, the latest a season-ending injury to guard Marshal Yanda, could ensure he is involved on Sunday.
The Ravens will also be without key defensive tackle Brandon Williams (foot) and have made their maiden voyage across to England while Jacksonville are back for a fifth straight year, on a two-game London winning streak.
This will be the first time they are led at Wembley by head coach Doug Marrone, a man who has his own ties to the capital.
He played for the now-defunct World League of American Football's London Monarchs in the early 1990s and his memories of the city include playing darts in a pub and being smuggled into Wembley in the back of an ambulance to witness the Freddie Mercury tribute concert.
"You're here on a business trip, it's not a vacation-type thing or a sight-seeing situation," Marrone told his Jaguars.
"You've got to get yourself locked in and ready to play a game."
Watch Baltimore Ravens @ Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at 1:30pm on Sky Sports Action.
