Saunders moving on to Spain

Bahamian football player Mavin Saunders has gone across to the other side of the world to play American Football. He has signed on to play with the Las Rozas Black Demons in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano Serie A in Madrid, Spain – the highest tier in men’s competition in that country.

Saunders celebrated his 26th birthday yesterday and was introduced on Wednesday by the team.

The Bimini native has finished one practice so far and is excited to be in the storied city of Madrid to play the sport he loves.

“… I looked at it as a win-win. It is a professional league and I will be getting paid. To be able to come to Europe and enjoy such a great city as Madrid is wonderful. The main thing is to help this team win and help build their program,” Saunders said.

Las Rozas is one of the up-and-coming teams in the league. They are looking to expand their program. The former Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles and Kansas University Jayhawks player ended up in Spain after the team’s athletic director saw some footage of him playing for the Seminoles. Saunders was asked if he was interested in continuing his career and Saunders bought into the idea of playing professionally in Spain.

Saunders said that the team brought in two Americans and a Canadian player along with himself to help the team to build a program.

The last time Saunders played in an organized season was for the Jayhawks during the 2018 season. After graduating from Kansas, he declared for the 2019 National Football League (NFL) Draft but was not drafted. Since then, he was at home in Bimini doing personal training and also serving as the gym teacher for the Gateway Christian Academy Eagles, who has turned some heads in recent years on the high school basketball scene. He was still able to stay in shape because of those aspects.

“Being in Bimini was actually a plus for me because it allowed me to realize where I come from. It also helped me to see the people who supported me throughout my career,” Saunders said.

Saunders is working on getting back into football shape, looking to shake off the rust and looking forward to his first game. The tight end will play his first game on the day before Valentine’s Day, February 13, against the defending champions, the Badalona Dracs. He does not have a goal for the season in terms of a number of receptions and yardage, but is looking to help the team win in any way that he can and doing the best that he can. In addition he said he is looking to bring the focus and intensity to practice that he is known for so his teammates can continue to improve.

Although he will be playing in Spain, the 26-year-old still has his eyes set on realizing one of his goals – to play in the NFL.

Saunders earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminology from Florida State University in 2018. He played for the Seminoles from 2014-2017. As a Seminoles player, he had a career day in 2016 against the North Carolina Tar Heels, finishing with three catches for 74 yards, including a 33-yard reception.

Saunders played high school football and basketball for Kincaid School in Houston, Texas. He was a four-star football recruit coming out of high school.

The post Saunders moving on to Spain appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

source https://thenassauguardian.com/saunders-moving-on-to-spain/