Packers Defensive Back Rips London Games To Shreds As Green Bay Prepares To Play Overseas
Packers defensive back Rasul Douglas is not a fan of the NFL's International Series. He despises playing in London.
Believe it or not, it has been 15 years since the NFL first went international with a game between the Giants and Dolphins at Wembley Stadium in 2007. Since then, the league has held 31 games in England, six in Toronto and four in Mexico City.
While having football on TV as soon as most Americans wake up on Sunday morning is cool, and the London games are quite a remarkable spectacle, it is brutal for the players. They are forced to play a game that is at least seven hours from home with really no benefit. All it does is screw up their sleep and practice schedules, and take them away from their families and their homes.
On Sunday, it will be the Packers that take the field against the Giants from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They mark the only remaining franchise that has not yet played in the International Series.
Douglas, who was on the Eagles when they traveled overseas to beat the Jaguars in 2018, will be making a return trip. However, he does not sound thrilled. In fact, he sounds the opposite of that.
Packers defensive back Rasul Douglas does not like the NFL's International Series
While speaking with Packers News, Douglas shared how he really feels.
"It f—king sucks," he said. "You don't get to do nothing over there. You just f—king get on a plane, get over there and f—king practice, and then play a game. You get back on a plane and travel f—king eight hours somewhere else."
In addition, Douglas said that leaving Thursday for a game on Sunday in a time zone that is six hours ahead doesn't provide the body enough time to adjust. He said that he felt jet lag the entire time that he was in London in 2018— up until kickoff, when adrenaline took over.
Douglas' sentiments should not come as much of a surprise. The NFL sees dollar signs and an opportunity to grow the game with its International Series. How its players feel about the trip doesn't matter.