Sometime this weekend, Nate Ebner will know.
Before the Hilliard native became a walk-on football player at Ohio State, before he became a Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, Ebner was a rugby player.
The sport was his first love. It was one of the bonds he shared with his father, Jeff, who was killed during a robbery attempt in 2008. Even when Ebner switched to football, he worked out with the Tiger rugby club in Columbus during NFL offseasons to stay in shape.
For the past four months, Ebner, 27, has been in San Diego training with USA Rugby in pursuit of one of 12 roster spots on the Men’s Sevens team that will compete in the Rio Olympics next month.