Joe Anoa’i, a defensive tackle from Georgia Tech who was an undrafted free agent, was signed by the Minnesota Vikings shortly after the 2007 NFL Draft. Shortly after signing with the Vikings, he was cut by the team, therefore his tenure there wasn’t long. After that, he briefly played for the Jacksonville Jaguars before spending a season in the Canadian sports League and ultimately retiring from sports.
While this may not seem like much, Joe Anoa’i went on to accomplish something very different, and it seems likely that his time with the Vikings was a major factor in making sure he could do so.
Reigns’ leukemia was first diagnosed during his Vikings physical in 2018. It went into remission about two years later, but it returned in 2018. Reigns returned to treatment, and the leukemia went back into remission shortly after. Reigns was sidelined for a significant portion of the COVID-19 pandemic due to health issues, but he returned in time to enjoy the lengthy reign as the Universal Champion that we previously discussed. It’s impossible to know for sure what would have happened to Joe Anoa’i had the Vikings not signed him. Maybe his CML would have been discovered during one of his physicals with another team, or maybe his football career would have taken a different turn.
