Meet the NFL outsiders: the players and coaches not born in the USA
A few years ago James Cook worked in a Surrey cinema and Max Pircher played in Austria. Now they're in the NFL
The United States is a country of immigrants but the NFL remains dominated by players born in the USA. Only 5% of players are born abroad and the majority of them make the step into the sport by going to college in the US. True outsiders are unusual and foreign coaches are especially rare, which makes James Cook's story remarkable.
Cook has been in charge of player development at Cleveland Browns for the past six months. That's an achievement in itself but it's extraordinary considering he grew up in Surrey, is in his late 20s and never played professional sport. Cook discovered the NFL as a 12-year-old when he was channel-flicking with his dad and came across this weird and wonderful" sport. He started playing locally and soon wanted to become the first NFL quarterback born in Europe. He got as far as playing for Great Britain but his plans to go to college in the US proved financially prohibitive.
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