Source : ABC NEWS
The Brisbane Broncos have allowed hulking prop Ben Te Kura a leave of absence to pursue an NFL career.
Brisbane said 22-year-old Te Kura, the tallest player in the NRL at 205 centimetres, had been the subject of “long-term interest from the NFL”.
The club has approved him taking six weeks away from NRL commitments to attend an NFL training camp.
“At the conclusion of the six-week period, Te Kura will either return to Broncos’ training, or the club will extend his absence to facilitate further steps towards a possible NFL opportunity in the United States,” the Broncos said in a statement.
Te Kura has played just five NRL games since making his debut in 2024 as he has struggled with a series of injuries and is yet to take the field this season, playing three games in the Queensland Cup with Wynnum Manly.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is in Australia to promote the San Francisco 49ers and LA Rams’ NFL season opener in September at the MCG.
Goodell arrived on the Gold Coast, where the NFL opened an academy in 2024, just as tickets went on sale for the 49ers-Rams clash and carried on to Melbourne.
“There’s no question that we’re going to be playing here again,” he said.
“Our view is we’re coming here for the long term. We don’t come as one-offs, this isn’t a circus, this is an investment in this market.”
Goodell has also been promoting flag football as an Olympic sport after its inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The NFL wants to make sure 2028 is not a one-time appearance for flag football and announced on the Gold Coast an initiative to provide flag football kits to schools Australia-wide in the hopes the sport takes root in Australia ahead of Brisbane 2032.
ABC
