Nate Ebner won’t be heading to the Olympics after all. The veteran free agent announced Tuesday that he’s no longer competing for a spot on the USA rugby squad, thus taking him out of contention for the summer games. This opens the door for the Giants to finally re-sign Ebner.
Ebner previously played on the United States’ Under-19 and Under-20 national rugby teams, and he was a member of the rugby sevens squad that represented the country at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Ebner is also a co-owner (along with former teammate Patrick Chung) of a Major League Rugby team.
“It pains me to announce my withdrawal from competing for a spot at the Tokyo Olympics with the USA Men’s Sevens,” Ebner said in a social media message (via Paul Schwartz of the NY Post). “After the 2020 NFL season, I had an injury that required off-season surgery. While my recovery is on track for the next football season, unfortunately the time tables did not align with trials for the Games.’’
Following an eight-year stint with the Patriots, with whom he won three Super Bowl rings, Ebner joined former special teams coordinator (and current Giants head coach) Joe Judge in New York last year. The 32-year-old finished the season with eight tackles while appearing in 81% of his team’s special teams snaps. Earlier this offseason, Judge indicated that the Giants would bring back Ebner once he finished his stint with the U.S. team.
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