Francis Kallon was all smiles as he walked off the practice field Saturday morning at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Sure, the undrafted rookie defensive end was thrilled to be learning the ropes in his second day of rookie minicamp, but, when the discussion turned to his favorite football team, his eyes lit up.
And no, it’s not the Steelers. Just a few hours earlier, Chelsea won the Premier League championship. And for this native Londoner, it was the equivalent of a Pittsburgher celebrating a Steelers Super Bowl victory.
The son of Sierra Leone immigrants who settled in London, Kallon grew up on soccer — or as he calls it “the real football” — rugby and basketball.