Former New York Giants running back Sandro Platzgummer, who announced he wouldn’t be back with the team in February, will not be playing in the NFL this year. Instead, he’ll be playing in the European Football League.
Raiders Tirol head coach Kevin Herron announced the signing of Platzgummer earlier this week.
“I am super excited for this new challenge. It is a league that is new for me but there are a lot of old teammates and coaches I would love to work with,” Platzgummer said in a statement released by the team.
“I am very happy to be back with the Raiders Tirol and can continue my career where it started. There was never any other option for me in Europe.”
The 26-year-old Platzgummer joined the Giants in 2020 via the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. He spent three seasons on the team’s practice squad and although he never appeared in a regular season game, the Austrian became a favorite among his teammates.
In a 2021 preseason game against the New York Jets, Platzgummer realized his professional dream by ripping off an impressive 48-yard run.
With three years of NFL experience under his belt, Platzgummer is likely to dominate the EFL. Early expectations are that he’ll win the Offensive Player of the Year Award.