Bills receiver Marquise Goodwin is taking this offseason off from football to focus on the long jump, the event in which he is a favorite to win an Olympic gold medal in Rio. Goodwin will return to football after the Olympics, but he doesn’t hide the fact that it’s his second-favorite sport.
In a Facebook chat with Emily Kaplan of TheMMQB.com, Goodwin was asked which he would participate in if the pay were equal, football or track and field. Goodwin didn’t hesitate to choose.
“I would definitely do track and field, man,” Goodwin said. “Football was my opportunity to advance my life, kind of get a head start on life and kind of put my family in a position to where they wouldn’t want for as much. I felt like track and field wouldn’t grant me that opportunity, being that I had a greater chance at making the amount of money that I do playing football, as opposed to going to track and field, and I would make it a lot sooner. Not saying I wouldn’t make it in track and field, but I would make it pretty much at a guaranteed rate in football.”
Goodwin did say that he’ll be back on the football field whether he wins gold or not, and he said coach Rex Ryan has supported his Olympic aspirations in part because training for the Olympics has put Goodwin in the best physical shape he’s ever been in. He’ll need to be in good shape and ready to play when the Olympics end because he’s no lock to make the roster and earn his $675,000 salary.
