Olympic Gold Medalist Wrestler Returns To College After Failing To Make NFL Roster In Retirement

Gable Steveson announced his return to college wrestling on Tuesday, two years after he symbolically retired from the sport. The 24-year-old will rejoin the University of Minnesota program as an immediate national title contender in the heavyweight decision.

However, his lengthy absence from the sport could create some level of parity amongst his competition.

Steveson, a two-time national champion, won a gold medal for Team USA at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo at 125kg. He later became the second Olympic gold medalist to sign with WWE, but the promotion released him from its roster in May after only one poorly-received televised match.

It seemed like Gable Steveson’s wrestling career had come to a conclusion, at which point the 6-foot-0, 280-pound Minnesota-native decided to pursue a career on the gridiron. The Buffalo Bills had nothing to lose so they gave him a tryout and ultimately signed him to a professional contract for training camp.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Ramon Foster found the decision to be ridiculous. Although Steveson actually looked pretty good (considering his lack of experience) during his lone preseason appearance, the Bills extinguished his NFL dreams during the final round of cuts.

Now two and a half months later, Steveson is returning to the Golden Gophers for one final year of eligibility.