Louis Rees-Zammit dished out details about the 'cut-throat' nature of his departure from the Kansas City Chiefs, recalling how he was coldly informed via text message about being cut.
Having initially been picked up by the Super Bowl winners earlier in the year as part of a major career move from rugby to American football, he didn't make the final 53-man roster. Rees-Zammit is now grinding it out with the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad, still chasing after the NFL dream.
In a candid chat on R ugbyPass TV's Walk the Talk with former Scotland lock Jim Hamilton, Rees-Zammit opened up about the stiff reality of American football contracts, a stark contrast to other sports where contractual guarantees offer some cushioning. At KC, it was radio silence from head coach Andy Reid after Rees-Zammit's exit from the Arrowhead Stadium.
Russell Wilson says the quiet part out loud amid Justin Fields uncertainty Terry Bradshaw warned by Michael Strahan on air after FOX NFL Sunday antics "The thing with American football compared to pretty much any other sport is when you sign that contract, you have guaranteed money in that contract," Rees-Zammit said. "If you don't have guaranteed money, they can cut you at any point.
"That's what happened to me. I went for a training camp and then there's a day when everyone is in the building and they just start cutting players as they have to make a 53-man squad.
"It's cut-throat. They've got a whole group of player personnel and scouts. They've got so many people for so many different positions so you just get a text message. It's honestly just brutal. You're all in the building and you get a text to basically say can you bring your iPad and meet them in a certain room. That's when you know.
"If you don't get the message, you're in the team. If you do like I did, I got the message, went upstairs and spoke to player personnel. Had some positive chats with them. But at the end of the day, I wanted to play receiver. They've got a strong receiving group at Kansas City. The Jags allowed me to be on their practice squad which is amazing.
"I got calls from Andy Reid and the general manager Brett Veach asking me to join the Chiefs. I had that from 10 other teams. I didn't hear anything after I got cut but that's just the business.
"I knew how cut-throat it was. And now I've experienced how cut-throat it is. You just get on with it. I'm not going to beg them to say so it's just onto the next job. I'm as happy as ever at the Jags."
Since switching sports, Rees-Zammit has endured some online abuse - even revealing that his phone number was leaked, resulting in him getting messages and calls from random people.
"There was a lot more s--- than there was positivity," he added. "A load of DMs. My number getting leaked. People messaging me and Facetiming me. I'm just trying to chase my dream. People can say what they want, but at the end of the day, this is my dream to be in the NFL and make this happen.
"I'm chasing it. I'm not thinking what other people are thinking about me. I know I have the ability to do this but it's just about doing it. The more you listen to the hate, the more it can get in your head. I just leave it to one side and focus on what I can control."
But it hasn't been all challenging moments there was starry serendipity too, as he revealed an unexpected encouragement from A-lister Taylor Swift : "I didn't get to meet her," he disclosed. "I went to a concert and I got a hand-written note from her.
"This was before training camp so it was just like 'good luck for the season, good luck for training camp, I heard you're doing well' - stuff like that.
"It's at home. It's in Cardiff. I didn't bring it out to America with me. That was pretty crazy, getting a letter from Taylor Swift. That was kind of the life I was in and I was just rolling with it."
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