Buffalo Bills wide receiver Marquise Goodwin will participate the long jump competition for Team USA at the 2015 Pan American Games this month in Toronto.
The 24-year-old finished fourth in the event at the U.S. championships in June, just missing out on a spot at the world championships, registering a best attempt of 27 feet, 5 1/2 inches.
Goodwin, selected by the Bills in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, was a two-time NCAA champion at the University of Texas and represented the U.S. at the Olympic Games in 2012, finishing 10th in London.
“It’s not like I retired and went into something else,” Goodwin told the Associated Press. “It’s not like I haven’t done anything. I’ve stayed sharp, basically through football workouts.
“I cater those workouts to track-specific things, so I don’t lose the rhythm I’ve always had to keep football and track in balance. I don’t want to get too much on the football side and gain weight, so I’m as fast on the field.”
His appearance at the Pan Am games will not interfere with Bills training camp, which is scheduled to begin on July 30 in Pittford, New York.
Goodwin, who lost his job as a kick returner midway through the 2014 season, is said to be on the roster bubble entering his first training camp under new Bills head coach Rex Ryan.
