Back to the Atlanta Falcons Newsfeed

Falcons' Foyesade Oluokun out to validate Ivy Leaguers in NFL

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Foyesade Oluokun has a little edginess in his tone and it's not because folks often mispronounce his name.

The Atlanta Falcons rookie linebacker from Yale knows there's an undesirable label that follows him into the NFL; one that says Ivy League players are highly intelligent but not necessarily high-caliber athletes.

"Once they see you in the Ivy League, they shut off their brains like, 'These are not athletes like other schools are used to playing.' That's the stigma," Oluokun said. "I don't like it, personally, because I think there are a lot of athletes in the Ivy League.