As most of you probably know, Jets center Nick Mangold has a sister who is competing in the London Olympics this summer. Holley Mangold has qualified for the Olympics in weightlifting. At 5-foot-9 and 350 pounds, she is 43 pounds heavier than Nick and can clean and jerk a whopping 319 pounds. While Nick is certainly proud of his sister for qualifying for the Olympic Games, he has chosen to stay at Jets camp rather than traveling to London to watch her compete.
“God bless Rex (Ryan) because he did offer it to me, but I don’t think I can leave my guys in the middle of training camp,” Mangold said according to Pro Football Talk. “But we’ll figure out a way to watch, and I’m real excited and real proud for her. Somehow, some way, I’ll watch it. But I don’t know if I can do the jump over the pond in the middle of training camp.”
As a fellow competitor, I’m sure Holley fully understands. While Aaron Ross of the Jaguars has decided to miss some camp to travel overseas to watch his wife compete, everyone approaches preparation differently. If Nick feels as though he cannot adequately prepare for the season by taking a few days in the middle of camp to travel to England, you have to respect his professionalism.
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