MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-American NFL player Jordan Norwood made a huge statement on the biggest stage in sports.
The 29-year-old Denver Broncos wide receiver returned a 61-yard punt early in the second quarter of his team's Super Bowl 50 matchup against the Carolina Panthers on Monday, February 8.
{source}<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="pt" dir="ltr">HISTÓRICO!!!!!!<br>O Retorno do Jordan Norwood de 61 Jardas.<br><br>O MAIS LONGO DA HISTÓRIA DO SUPER BOWL!!!! <a href="https://t.co/4DKvhYsc1T">pic.twitter.com/4DKvhYsc1T</a></p>— Futebol Total (@Futebol__Total) <a href="https://twitter.com/Futebol__Total/status/696497920129048577">February 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The previous record was 45 yards, set by San Francisco 49er John Taylor at Super Bowl XXIII.
(LIVE BLOG: Super Bowl 50 - Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers)
The return helped set up a 33-yard Denver field goal to give them a 13-7 lead.
Norwood, who is the brother of the Philippine Basketball Association and Philippine national team player Gabe Norwood, had overcome many hurdles to get back to the league, having been cut by the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013, and tearing his ACL in a practice game shortly after being signed by the Broncos in 2014.
Norwood hadn’t played in a regular season game since 2012 before lining up as a slot receiver in Peyton Manning’s offense this season. – Rappler.com