Samardzija pursuing his dreams
Jeff Samardzija's pursuit to play two
sports professionally is going as planned.
Last
Sunday he tolf the press that he was about to begin preparations to play in the 58th Senior Bowl in Mobile,
Ala., on Jan. 27.
"Nothing's changed, Jeff's moving forward with his plan,'' said Mark
Rodgers, Jeff Samardzija's advisor.
Jeff Samardzija was drafted last June by the
Cubs in the fifth round of baseball's first-year player draft.
Some NFL observers have said Jeff Samardzija will ultimately be forced to
choose between the two sports or it could have a negative impact on his
draft stock. He is currently listed as the No. 13 pick overall on Mel
Kiper Jr.'s NFL Draft board.
"That's what we're sticking with until somebody else says, 'Hey, you're
not doing that,' '' Sam Samardzija said.
And since Jeff Samardzija hasn't established himself yet professionally in
either sport, his father said starting out is somewhat of a problem.
"Eventually, Jeff might have to decide on one sport and pursue the
other sport at another time down the road,'' Sam Samardzija said.
"Jeff's family has allowed him to dream this dream that he's now trying
to make a reality. Jeff hasn't just played two sports, he's excelled at
two sports at the highest level while going to class at the same time.
That's something that takes tremendous discipline in and of itself.
That's what makes it so extraordinary.''
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