Patrick Murray, the NFL kicker whose uncle Aidan played inter-county Gaelic football for Monaghan, has just signed for the Cleveland Browns.
It's a huge boost for Murray, who sat out last year after being cut from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. NFL teams generally only carry one kicker on their 53-man roster so barring injury or a dramatic loss of form - the place seems to be Murray's to lose.
In the only season he played in the NFL - 2014 - Murray was successful on 50 out of his 54 total kicks - but was cut in 2015 - partly because the Buccanneers selected a kicker in the draft but also because of injury and the fact that he missed three kicks in two pre-season games.
It's an honor to be a part of the Cleveland @Browns organization! Can't wait to get to work with my teammates! #DawgPound
— Pat Murray (@patmurray723) June 9, 2016
Murray has been on trial with Cleveland for the last few weeks - and will face the task of kicking behind Robert Griffin III's offence. Murray's contract details have not yet been revealed, but he earned $420,000 for his previous season as a kicker - so it is expected that his salary will be in the region of $500,000.
Murray's Irish connections have been well documented here previously but he spent many summers in Monaghan and credits a lot of his success to his days in Clones. His uncle Ciaran won an All-Star (and captained the side to an Ulster title) for the Farney County in 1985.
