Herschel Walker is now 53 years old, but he told a radio show Thursday morning that “there is not a doubt” that he could still play in the NFL. But the former running back is actually in no apparent rush to strap on the pads again, saying that first he needs to wrap up his mixed martial arts career.
Walker, who won a Heisman Trophy at Georgia before playing for the USFL’s Generals, then the Cowboys, Vikings, Eagles and Giants, last played professional football in 1997, when he was 35. Renowned for his dedication to fitness, he subsequently fought twice in MMA events, winning Strikeforce matchups in 2010 and 2011.
Appearing on the “Boomer and Carton” show, Walker said, “I know I could still play [football] if I wanted to play. … I’ve thought about it, but I’m still fighting, you see, I’ve gotta get out of the fighting first.
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“Once I get out of this MMA stuff,” he added “… I want to be the George Foreman of football.”
Walker told co-host Boomer Esiason that his current weight was 225 pounds, which he said was about five over his old playing weight. When co-host Craig Carton asked if Walker could suit up today and still be a “positive presence” for an NFL team, the latter had this to say:
“There is not a doubt in my mind, if I played today, I could contribute to a team.
“And let me tell you the reason why: running backs today don’t play every play. They only play like a couple of plays, and then they go out of the game.
“I can return kickoffs. You know, I still run very well, like I’ve always ran, so I know I could be a positive thing.”
Well, it’s good that Walker was being realistic. He’s not saying he could return to being a full-time running back, silly, just maybe a third-down, pass-catching back and a kick returner! You know, a role befitting his half-century-plus on the planet.
In some seriousness, if there is a 53-year-old former player who could actually pull this off, it would have to be Walker. He has a fifth-degree black belt in taekwondo and always kept himself in fantastic shape, as evidenced during his 2011 MMA fight:
In fact, Walker told “Boomer and Carton” that he had run a 4.3 40 as recently as last year, and that was without “any track work.” That’s more than enough speed for a kick returner, and what special-teamer would want to see that truck rumbling at them at full velocity?
It’s hard to imagine what’s stopping Jerry Jones, never averse to headlines, from taking a flier on Walker, especially given the former back’s history with the Cowboys. Could he really be worse right now than Darren McFadden?
(H/T CBS Sports)
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