Retired New York Giants great Osi Umenyiora is one of the rare players who was born internationally and found his way to the NFL.
After the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show, the NFL debuted a new ad campaign highlighting its International Player Pathway Program (IPPP), which Umenyiora was instrumental in launching.
In the ad, several current players are shown as a boy plays with a football while running through the streets of Accra, Ghana. At the end of the commercial, Umenyiora shows up and lets him know that his dream can be a reality and that it doesn’t matter where he was born.
“As long as you are born to play,” Umenyiora says.
On Thursday, the NFL released a heartwarming video of Umenyiora and Washington Commanders defensive end Efe Obada watching the full commercial for the first time.
.@OsiUmenyiora and IPP alum @EfeObadaUK's reaction to watching the Super Bowl commercial for the first time is too pure ❤️ #BornToPlay pic.twitter.com/PpBBk1O7A8
— NFL (@NFL) February 22, 2024
The IPPP allows the NFL to expand its talent pool from US-based universities and programs to foreign countries where there is plenty of talent, but not a lot of opportunity.
Born in London and raised in Nigeria until high school when he moved to the US, Umenyiora has a passion for providing opportunities to those who might not otherwise have them. His genuine reaction to the ad that features him and that he related so authentically to Kwesi shows what a great human being Osi is.
The most interesting part of his reaction, though, is when you can see the impact register on Umenyiora’s face. Not just the impact of the ad itself, but the impact he had on making the IPPP happen, which Obada makes a point to let him know.
Umenyiora had an outstanding NFL career and is one of the greatest Giants to play defensive end. He was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2015.
