Panthers' Obada grateful for roster spot after incredible journey to NFL
Carolina Panthers defensive end Efe Obada reflected on his incredible journey after becoming one of the first players from the NFL's International Pathway program to make a 53-man roster this past weekend.
The 26-year-old was born in Nigeria and trafficked at age 10 to the Netherlands and then to the United Kingdom after being separated from his mother. He and his sister were abandoned and left homeless in England.
"I'll be honest with you,'' Obada said, according to David Newton of ESPN. "What happened to me is something that has happened across the world, it's happened to a lot of people. I'm just blessed to have the opportunity I'm in right now. I just want to focus on football.
"Eventually down the line when everything is settled and I've established myself in the league, then I'll go into that. I'll go into my background. I'll go into my history.''
Obada first signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015 after playing with an amateur team in London, according to Nick Shook of NFL.com. He was cut at the end of the preseason but later joined the practice squad. He also had stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons, but was never placed on an official roster. He spent all of 2017 on the Panthers' practice squad.
Head coach Ron Rivera credits Obada's past with helping fuel the intensity and desire that got him onto the roster.
"I see it every time he steps on the field,'' Rivera said, according to Newton. "He practices 100 miles per hour. I've got guys that get upset with him because on Friday he's going hard.
"It's funny, when you want to point to something, when you say, 'Hey guys, if you came from where he came, if you dealt with what he dealt with, that's how you want to approach everything in life,' that's what I think is impressive.''
The Panthers open their season against the Cowboys on Sunday, though it remains to be seen if Obada will be active.
Former Australian rugby star Jordan Mailata was the second player from the International Pathway program to make a roster when he survived the Philadelphia Eagles' wave of cuts last weekend.
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