NFL veteran Nate Ebner said Tuesday he has abandoned his bid to make the United States rugby sevens squad for next month's Olympics after failing to recover in time following offseason surgery.
The 32-year-old former New England Patriots defensive back, who played for the US at the 2016 Olympics, said he had struggled to regain fitness in time for the Tokyo Games.
"It pains me to announce my withdrawal from competing for a spot at the Tokyo Olympics with the USA Men's Sevens," Ebner said in a statement.
"After the 2020 NFL season, I had an injury that required off-season surgery.