Mason wants to follow NFL dream
By James Hooper
June 9, 2006
WILLIE Mason has always been a showman. The bigger the occasion, the greater the challenge, the better the New South Wales Origin enforcer performs.
Mason: Cauldron holds no fear
But Mason boldly underlined the greatest challenge in his elite sporting career last night, revealing a desire to feature on the biggest stage in US sport: the National Football League.
MainGame can reveal that Mason's management team has sent a video highlights tape including footage of the forwards' devastating try in Origin I to numerous NFL teams.
Despite having inked a four-year deal with the Bulldogs until the end of 2009 last year, Mason is prepared to consider walking away from the Belmore club.
Six NFL clubs - Oakland Raiders, San Fransisco 49ers, New York Jets, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers - are expected to hold talks with Mason's agent, Greg Keenan, in the US over the next fortnight.
And the last Australian export to star in the NFL's front line, Colin Scotts, has predicted Mason's essential combination of size, power, speed, balance and willingness is the perfect recipe for success in American football.
But for Mason, the reasoning is much simpler.
The challenge of cutting it in the multi-million-dollar elite echelon of US professional sport, where 130 million people watch the Super Bowl each year, is what dazzles.
"It would be an unbelievable challenge and it would be a massive stage like
nothing I've ever experienced," Mason said.
"I've always wondered when I've watched the NFL if I was born in the States how good I'd go at it.
"There'd be heaps to learn, but for me that's half the challenge, I just reckon the whole experience would be awesome."
Former St Louis Cardinals defensive end Scotts has volunteered to assist Mason by helping to open doors to some of the NFL's top teams.
Scotts has earmarked the position of offensive right tackle as perfect, meaning Mason would stand in the front line of defence for the team holding the ball and protect the quarterback, running backs and wide receivers.
"Willie is super quick for a big man and, in terms of balance, he's got beautiful co-ordination for a man of his size," Scotts said.
"He's also got those huge long arms that scouts look for in the NFL, big hands to go with them and from the look of his statistics he's a powerful man.
"I know a good friend of mine in Hawaii who knows every NFL team so he can open up doors for him to get in somewhere.
"I'd be fascinated to see another Aussie get over there and have a go and Willie Mason has got that tough temperament to make a fist of it.
"Welcome to the most intense, competitive, complex game in the world; Willie is still young enough, so why not have a go?"
MainGame understands Raiders head of professional recruitment Ed Dodds was immediately impressed when informed of Mason's statistics.
"He's how big? And he runs that quick. Yeah, of course we'd be interested in having a look at him," Dodds said.
And Jets Director of Professional Scouting Brendon Prophett responded: "Wow. I bet he could run over a few cats."
The dossier on Mason reads: running 20m in 2.76sec, 40m in 4.89sec; bench pressing 170kg for one repetition and leg squatting 220kg.
Mason's agent Keenan denied arranging meetings with NFL clubs in the next fortnight, but MainGame understands they have been scheduled.
"I'll be in the US on business in the next fortnight but I'm not going to say what sort of business I'm there on," Keenan said.
If Mason opted to depart the Bulldogs kennel, it would mean severing the final three seasons of a $1.6 million contract.
While it would hurt leaving the teammates with whom he won a premiership in 2004, and the club to which he has shown tremendous loyalty for the past seven seasons, it's a sacrifice Mason is willing to make.
Again, the reasoning is simple. In terms of rugby league milestones there is little left for Mason to conquer;
- HE collected the Clive Churchill medal as the best player on the field in the Bulldogs' 2004 premiership triumph over Sydney Roosters.
- HE has played 17 Tests for Australia since debuting for the Kangaroos in 2002.
- HE has made five Origin appearances, collecting man-of-the-match honours in Origin I this year.
Mason has nominated Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens as his favourite NFL player, saying: "He's the guy in the NFL I reckon rocks."
In the NFL, each team has a salary cap of $102 million to spend on playing talent per year - more than 25 times the $4 million beneath which NRL teams must balance their 25 top-line players next season.
Five Australians have previously qualified to star in the NFL: Scotts, Darren Bennett, Ben Graham, Mat McBriar and Colin Ridgeway.
But only Scotts graduated for the rough and tumble arena of the NFL front line, making it as a defensive end and defensive tackle for St Louis Cardinals, Phoenix Cardinals and Houston Oilers after being drafted from the University of Hawaii in 1987.
The other Australian exports used AFL backgrounds to make it as punters, whose job is just to kick the ball.
Despite Scott's glowing endorsement of Mason, the last rugby league forward to try his luck on an American football scholarship was cautious about the daring switch of codes.
Retired Kangaroos, NSW and Balmain Tigers forward Paul Sironen, who won a scholarship to the University of Hawaii in 1984, believes Mason has a huge mountain in front of him, but by no means an impossible one.
"Getting into a whole new code of football, it obviously looks exciting and lucrative with all the hype surrounding it but it's a lot of learning too," Sironen said.
"Tight end is a pretty good position and Willie would have all the skills to handle that - but the hardest part would be the learning curve.
"It's a pretty hard learning curve, it would take him at least 12 months to get a handle on things and fit in with it."
In seven years in the NRL, Willie Mason has distinguished himself as a special talent.
If ever there was a player suited to the brash, flash, showmanship of American football, Mason is the man. Bring on the bling.
The Daily Telegraph
