Jarryd Hayne Quits The NFL To Join Fiji's Olympic Rugby Sevens Team (Except, He Might Be Ineligible To Play)

Jarryd Hayne has announced his retirement from the NFL, and what an eight-game career it was.

This morning, Hayne revealed that he was walking away from the San Francisco 49ers to join the Fiji rugby sevens team for the Rio Olympics, ABC reports.

The 28-year-old is of Fijian descent.

"I simply could not pass that chance up," he said of the decision.

"The Olympics has been something I have admired since I was a little boy, and it is an opportunity I feel very similar to me joining the NFL."

His NFL career started promisingly, with a lucrative three-year contract that bound him to the Niners. He exits with only eight games under his belt, and just one start. He had 17 carries for 52 yards and six catches for 27 yards.

It’s unknown if he plans on heading back to the NFL after the Olympics, with his manager telling Triple M there’s no “Plan B” after Rio at this stage.

But then, Rio may not even be a possibility for Hayne, with Richard Ings, former head of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), saying that his brief time spent with the NFL could prevent him from joining.

Sooo, yeah.

More news as it develops.

Photo: Photo / Instagram.