San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin dropped a small bombshell via Twitter on Monday morning. He hopes to take part in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
I'm going to win the 2020 Olympics in Long jump! 💪🏿 idk how, but I am.
— MG (@marquisegoodwin) April 8, 2019
That's fantastic news for the fan-favorite receiver, who has taken part in the Olympics before. He was a member of the 2012 United States track and field team and finished tenth in the long jump at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Four years later, Goodwin attempted to return, but a hamstring injury ended those hopes.
There's just one problem with taking part next year. The Olympics overlap with training camp. Not to mention the time Goodwin might have to miss leading up to the Olympics, assuming he is still on the 49ers or any NFL team roster.
NFL players will have about six weeks off between each team's offseason program and its training camp start date but participating in the Olympics (or attempting to do so) is a significant commitment. How receptive would the 49ers brass be to allowing one of their players to participate rather than focus on an upcoming season?
Albert Breer of The MMQB wrote on Monday that there is nothing in Goodwin's contract that would allow him to miss team commitments to participate in the Olympics. He signed a three-year extension with San Francisco on March 8, 2018, which keeps him under contract through the 2021 season.
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"The 2020 Games are scheduled to be held right in the teeth of training camp, and there's nothing in Goodwin's contract, I'm told, that would let him out of training camp to go," writes Breer.
That's not to say that any request to miss time would be flat-out denied by the 49ers. From a PR perspective, it might be beneficial to have a player from your team participating in the Olympics, exposing your brand to the world. Of course, a focus on football might be more appealing to the coaching staff.
In the end, it will be up to the 49ers to decide whether or not he can miss valuable offseason time to follow his dream.
"I'm sort of hoping he finds a way to do it, though," adds Breer.
Goodwin had an impressive first year with head coach Kyle Shanahan in 2017. He caught 56 passes for 962 yards with two touchdowns after never surpassing 431 yards in his previous four NFL seasons. Injuries hindered his 2018 campaign as he recorded just 23 receptions for 395 yards with four trips into the end zone.
