Hayne feels strain as 49ers prepare for Vikings
It’s one of the world’s great mysteries: Will Jarryd Hayne play the Minnesota Vikings or will he be left on the San Francisco 49ers’ bench?
OK, that’s an exaggeration.
In the pantheon of the unknown the “Will Jarryd Play?” question might not make the top 50. It probably sits further down the list somewhere between Yeti sightings and Donald Trump’s hair.
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But Hayne did little to enlighten anyone when he fronted reporters at the San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium on Friday, the site of the team’s Monday (Tuesday 12.20pm AEST) NFL regular season opener against the Vikings.
If head coach Jim Tomsula tells him he won’t be in the 46-man game day squad will he be ready for the news?
“Yes I am,” Hayne replied.
The team will be announced 90 minutes before the game.
But, what if, as conspiracy theorists believe, all the negative talk from the 49ers’ coaches about Hayne possibly not being ready for a fully-fledged NFL game was just a smoke screen to trick the Vikings?
What if he makes his regular season debut in front of 15 million Monday Night Football telecast viewers and almost 70,000 fans in the stadium – including mother Jodie, father Manoa Thompson and sisters Jessi-Lee and Taygan?
“Well, that’s what professional athletes do,” Hayne replied.
“We do the best we can and whatever happens in their future happens.”
Adding to the conspiracy theory that he will play, Hayne did say he has been studying the Vikings’ linebackers to learn their traits and defensive fronts – something he’d need to know if he plays running back.
During the five minute chat Hayne was a little edgier and snappier with the media than previously.
“I know you are always looking for a storyline so I have to be careful with what I say and how I say it,” Hayne said.
And how about all of the media attention?
“Every man and their dog has been interviewed about me,” Hayne said.
“Every day there’s someone new or someone that’s had something to do with me.”
But the Hayne Plane did have some good news
He says he’ll likely move into a new apartment on the weekend.
Hayne has been living in a hotel since April when he arrived in the Silicon Valley suburb of Santa Clara, where the 49ers’ headquarters is located.
Just like plenty of Aussies attempting to reside in the US, he has discovered it’s hard to get a car or even rent an apartment without a US credit history – no matter how much money you have in the bank or if you are a running back or punt returner for the 49ers.
And, for someone from Sydney who knows about sky-high housing prices, Hayne admits the high cost of rents in Silicon Valley, home to technology giants like Apple, Google and Facebook, has been shocking.
“Silicon Valley, yeah, the prices are crazy around here,” he said.