ALL-BLACK LEGEND Dan Carter has revealed he almost quit rugby union to a pursue a career in the NFL two years ago.
Carter called time on an illustrious international career after guiding New Zealand to World Cup glory last month but, in his autobiography released today, the fly-half says he seriously considered giving up the sport.
During an extended period on the sidelines in 2013, the 33-year-old was approached by the current Superbowl champions, the New England Patriots, and he even met with the team’s owner.
In an exclusive extract in today’s Telegraph, Carter revealed how he was given a tour of the NFL outfit’s training facilities and admits his interest was ‘piqued a little’ by the offer.
“It was a typical winter’s day in Boston. Crisp, clear, freezing cold. It was the start of my second sabbatical in late 2013, and I was determined to get a long way from rugby, to try to rekindle my love for the game,” he wrote.
“I was with a friend, Luke Lloyd Davies. He is a sports agent and knew I was a fan of the NFL, so he had arranged for the pair of us to tour the New England Patriots’ facilities.
“We walked into reception where they welcomed us by name, as if we were arriving for an appointment. The next thing I knew, a couple of scouts came out, and asked, ‘Where are your boots?’ They thought I was there to try out for the team! I was floored, and a little wistful. Part of me would have liked nothing more than to give it a shot but I had just torn my Achilles tendon, and was months away from being able to kick again.
“They looked downcast, as if they had been misinformed about the purpose of the meeting. It was all so surreal. We chatted with the scouts a little more, then they said: ‘Mr Kraft wants to meet with you.’ Mr Kraft was Robert Kraft, the team’s legendary owner who had bought them for £113million in 1994 — at the time the highest price ever paid for a sports franchise. I couldn’t believe that this guy wanted to meet me.
“You could see how he’d become so successful, because he cut straight to the point with a series of very direct questions.
“Do you want to play football?”
“What are you going to bring to this team?”
“Do you think you can make the transition to the NFL?”
“I mumbled my way through some answers, looking across to Luke, who seemed equally lost. We spent 10 or 15 minutes talking through the realities of the sport, and whether it was plausible for me to make the transition.
“If I’m honest, my interest was piqued a little. I don’t think any competitive athlete could walk into an environment like that, be received in that way, and not feel a desire to rise to the challenge. Who knows what I might have done had I not sustained that injury at Twickenham?
“After we finished up, we were sent downstairs to meet with the head of the team’s scouting programme. He talked me through their processes, from recruitment, to testing, to training. That was the point when I realised just how difficult it would be for me, competing with the wave upon wave of young athletic talent thrown up by the college system.”
As it happened, the lure of France was too difficult to resist and Carter put pen to paper on a deal with Racing Metro.
He will link-up with the Top 14 outfit before Christmas and will become the highest-paid player in the sport’s history, earning £1.4 million a year.
