Bayron Matos with the Vice Minister of Sports Franklin de la Mota.
EL NUEVO DIARIO, SANTO DOMINGO.- The National Football League of the United States (NFL) is interested in recruiting talent from the Dominican Republic, said the defensive player (tackle) of the Miami Dolphins, the Dominican Bayron Matos.
The revelation was made by the athlete himself, recently signed by the Miami Dolphins, during a reception given to him by the Ministry of Sports and Recreation (Miderec), where he was received in the office of Minister Francisco Camacho, by the Administrative Vice Minister, Franklin From the Mota.
Matos became the first soccer player born in the Dominican Republic to reach the NFL. He is a native of the Los Mina sector, municipality of Santo Domingo Este.
He managed to sign an agreement outside of the draft, for three seasons (2004-2027), and in a few weeks he will join the squad’s training camp, where he will try to make the regular team.
“The NFL wants to recruit Dominican talent. I hope that next year another Dominican like me, or better than me, will have the opportunity to change his life and that of his family, which is what is important,” Matos said.
He stated that he feels proud to be Dominican, that he has followed sports since he was a child and that representing his country and his family is something “very big.”
“He highlighted that he has managed to sign a three-season contract as a development player, so he is preparing for the years to come, stating that he feels good and that a lot of work awaits him.
Matos is a burly athlete standing 6’9 and 340 pounds. He was received by De la Mota, who assured that, for the Government, President Luis Abinader and Miderec “it will be an honor to work hand in hand with the footballer so that the NFL pays attention to Dominican talent.”
The player was accompanied by his brother Ismael Matos García, who also intends to try to reach the NFL through the International Player Pathway, the program that served as a platform for Matos on his journey towards American football. In addition, Agrys Gil, publicist and assistant to Matos and Eros Braccin, president of the Dominican American Football Federation.
He narrated that before traveling to the United States, with a scholarship to play basketball at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Florida, he tried to seek a signature as a pitcher, through the Franklin Ferreras Baseball Academy.
«I played baseball between the ages of 13 and 16 because my mother, Kirsys García’s, dream was for me to be a baseball player, but my passion was basketball. On the weekends I would escape to the field and tell my mother that she was at the (baseball) academy, and I would tell the owners of the program that she would find me at home. During that time I tried to earn a place in the youth team that was training for an international event, but it was not possible,” she revealed.
He added that before trying his luck in the NFL, through the International Player Pathway program that recruits players from around the world – not natives of the United States – with the skills and potential to reach the NFL, he played top basketball in some provinces of the country.
De la Mota highlights player
For his part, Franklin De la Mota highlighted the humility that characterizes the player and his identification with his country.
“Matos has an incredible human quality, a player who works hard to be a flagship and a country brand, like we have athletes in baseball, basketball and many other sports,” said De la Mota.
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2024-06-25 00:40:43
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