Louis Rees-Zammit shares message of support from Taylor Swift as he refuses to give up NFL dream

Louis Rees-Zammit was chopped by the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this twelvemonth aft switching rugby for American football, with the Welshman present chasing his NFL imagination with the Jacksonville Jaguars

Louis Rees-Zammit has shared that helium received a hand-written enactment from popular prima Taylor Swift arsenic helium opened up astir the 'brutal' mode successful which helium near the Kansas City Chiefs.

The ex-Wales international had inked a woody with the Super Bowl champions earlier this twelvemonth aft swapping rugby for American football, lone to beryllium dropped earlier the season's extremity aft failing to marque their 53-man squad.

He's presently portion of the Jacksonville Jaguars' signifier squad arsenic helium strives towards his imagination of playing successful the NFL. However, the process of being dropped by the Chiefs was a "cut-throat" one, with the Welshman receiving the quality via a substance message.

In a chat with erstwhile Scotland second-row Jim Hamilton connected RugbyPass TV's Walk the Talk, Rees-Zammit disclosed that it wasn't Chiefs caput manager Andy Reid who delivered the quality - with the 23 twelvemonth aged having not heard from Reid since departing Arrowhead.

"The happening with American shot compared to beauteous overmuch immoderate different athletics is erstwhile you motion that contract, you person guaranteed wealth successful that contract," helium explained. "If you don't person guaranteed money, they tin chopped you astatine immoderate point.

"That's what happened to me. I went for a grooming campy and past there's a time erstwhile everyone is successful the gathering and they conscionable commencement cutting players arsenic they person to marque a 53-man squad. It's cut-throat. They've got a full radical of subordinate unit and scouts. They've got truthful galore radical for truthful galore antithetic presumption truthful you conscionable get a substance message.

"It's honestly conscionable brutal. You're each successful the gathering and you get a substance to fundamentally accidental tin you bring your iPad and conscionable them successful a definite room. That's erstwhile you know. If you don't get the message, you're successful the team. If you bash similar I did, I got the message, went upstairs and spoke to subordinate personnel. Had immoderate affirmative chats with them.

"But astatine the extremity of the day, I wanted to play receiver. They've got a beardown receiving radical astatine Kansas City. The Jags allowed maine to beryllium connected their signifier squad which is amazing. I got calls from Andy Reid and the wide manager Brett Veach asking maine to articulation the Chiefs. I had that from 10 different teams. I didn't perceive thing aft I got chopped but that's conscionable the business."

"I knew however cut-throat it was. And present I've experienced however cut-throat it is. You conscionable get connected with it. I'm not going to beg them to accidental truthful it's conscionable onto the adjacent job. I'm arsenic blessed arsenic ever astatine the Jags."

Since switching sports, Rees-Zammit has endured immoderate online maltreatment - adjacent revealing that his telephone fig was leaked, resulting successful him getting messages and calls from random people.

"There was a batch much s**t than determination was positivity," helium added. "A load of DMs. My fig getting leaked. People messaging maine and Facetiming me. I'm conscionable trying to pursuit my dream. People tin accidental what they want, but astatine the extremity of the day, this is my imagination to beryllium successful the NFL and marque this happen."

"I'm chasing it. I'm not reasoning what different radical are reasoning astir me. I cognize I person the quality to bash this but it's conscionable astir doing it. The much you perceive to the hate, the much it tin get successful your head. I conscionable permission it to 1 broadside and absorption connected what I tin control."

However, helium has had immoderate affirmative interactions - with popular prima Swift penning a hand-written enactment for the erstwhile Gloucester helping during his clip astatine the Chiefs.

Swift is the spouse of Chiefs tight-end Travis Kelce, with the Welshman turning the speech to Swift aft noticing a poster featuring her portion walking with Hamilton.

"I didn't get to conscionable her," helium said. "I went to a performance and I got a hand-written enactment from her. This was earlier grooming campy truthful it was conscionable similar 'good luck for the season, bully luck for grooming camp, I heard you're doing well' - worldly similar that.

"It's astatine home. It's successful Cardiff. I didn't bring it retired to America with me. That was beauteous crazy, getting a missive from Taylor Swift. That was benignant of the beingness I was successful and I was conscionable rolling with it."