Haggai Ndubuisi was signed by the Arizona Cardinals after progressing through the NFL’s International Player Pathway
The brutality of life in the NFL hasn’t stopped Haggai Ndubuisi from pursuing a career in American football.
The 21-year-old Nigerian only started playing four years ago and appeared to have capped his remarkable rise earlier this year when he signed with the Arizona Cardinals in April.
However, he was dropped from the squad four months later. Still, he has vowed to fight his way back onto the road that took him from Abuja to Arizona.
“There’s no turning back for me,” he told ` Sport Africa.
“It’s about not giving up. I’ll keep pursuing my dream. I’ll just keep training and working extra hard and correcting the mistakes and the things that I think I should have done better or would have done better.
“[I will] Keep pursuing the dream and believe and hope that one day I will be among the starters in one of the clubs too.”
Ndubuisi is 1.80m tall and grew up watching football and basketball in Nigeria before discovering his passion for American football on the internet.
However, West Africa’s largest and most populous nation has few players or clubs in a sport that is dominant in the United States.
“American football is not a sport that exists in Nigeria – it’s like a sport without hope. There’s no future in it,” he said.
“It was basically watching YouTube and practicing on my own. When we started, people thought we were joking.
“Over time we started organizing camps to get more people.”
The NFL is trying to realize Africa’s potential
In 2021, offensive linesman Ndubuisi joined Ghana’s UpRise Academy, which is run by two-time Super Bowl winner with the New York Giants Osi Umenyiora and former pro basketball player Ejike Ugboaja.
It is part of efforts to expand the scouting operation for the NFL, which has more than 100 professional players of African descent, across the continent.
The NFL’s ambition to discover more talent on the continent was underscored when it hosted its first events on the continent in June the first NFL Africa Camp to be held in Ghana.
“We know that Africa probably has the best athletes in the world,” said Umenyiora, who was born in London to Nigerian parents.
“You have to be big, strong, fast, aggressive and smart to be in the NFL.
“We went to Senegal, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria. And then we found the best people we could find and brought them all to Accra, Ghana.
“We want to give these guys the infrastructure and knowledge to know what the game of the NFL is about. And they will have those opportunities. That’s what we’re here for.”
Damani Leech, NFL International Chief Operating Officer, added at the Accra camp: “We have over 40 players from seven different countries.
“We could imagine being in Nigeria or South Africa or any other country in the coming years.”
“Nobody believed I could do it”
Ndubuisi says just signing for the Cardinals gave him hope despite being dropped from the team’s roster
After his stint at UpRise Academy in Ghana, Ndubuisi was on a path for NFL scouts to keep their eyes on him.
“It was a week-long camp. Three of us have been selected and invited to attend the NFL Combined Camp in London,” he said.
“I think six of us made it out of 47 from the London NFL combined camp. Us three from Nigeria and some other three guys.”
From there, Ndubuisi was invited to the NFL’s International Player Pathway program, a ten-week event in Arizona, United States.
“After playing American football in the States for 10 weeks during the IPP program, I got a call from the Cardinals’ general manager,” he recalled.
“It was like they had to try me out and teach me a few things. That’s how the Cardinals signed me.”
The NFL’s competitive guidelines allow teams to run a larger roster off-season, but that must be reduced by Aug. 15 before the new season — and Ndubuisi’s rise was about to plateau.
“It’s just about creating the 53-man squad,” said Ndubuisi.
“Everyone did their best and just tried to show what they are capable of. At the end of the day, they choose who to choose.
“It’s all about the numbers.”
Despite his release, bitterness is far from Ndubuisi’s mind.
American football has a low profile in Nigeria but he has found his way into one of the most lucrative sporting competitions in the world and he hopes his dreams and those of many others are just beginning.
“To be honest, no one ever believed I would make it to that height,” he concluded.
“My goal is to get a new team. Just jumping into the league gave me hope.”
The new NFL season begins Thursday, with the Los Angeles Rams defending their Super Bowl title against the Buffalo Bills.
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