24 Year old Wide Receiver/Kick Returner Noriaki Kinoshita’s bid to become the first Japanese player in the National Football League will have to wait ’til next year as the 5′10″, 179 lb. (177.8cm., 81.2kg.) Osaka born athlete failed to make the final cut with the Atlanta Falcons. “It’s a shame I had limited chances to show my ability” said Kinoshita who only got one recepion, a 12 yd. gain against the Cincinnati Bengals.
After playing in the NFL’s European League, which the NFL pulled the plug on earlier this year, the undersized but speedy Kinoshita, like many others, tried to make NFL teams stateside. He led the NFLEL with a 19.2 yards average on punt returns while also making 21 receptions for 308 yards. playing for the Amsterdam Admirals.
sources: The Japan Times, Yahoo!, Japan Today, NFL.Com
