YORK, Pa. — "I think I'm going to be able to live and tell a good story for years to come."
That's how former York Catholic and Saint Francis football player Hakeem Kinard describes his latest decision to play pro football overseas in Austria. Kinard leaves Tuesday to join the Dragons, an American football team based in Vienna. He doesn't expect to return until August.
"I'm at this stage in my life, I'm 25 right now, I know that I'm going to want to get into the next chapter soon," he explained. "I said let me just put on the helmet one more time, see where it takes me, have fun with it, ball out and that's kind of how we got here."
Kinard was a first-team All-NEC defensive back in his senior year with the Red Flash in 2018. He received a rookie camp invite with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019.
Recently, he's been training younger players through his Prolific Performance business. The business is now on hold as he pursues his own playing dreams one more time.
"I know the culture is going to be a little bit different; it's only my second time being out of the country so it's going to be a little bit of an adjustment for me," he smiled. "For me it was about traveling the world and doing what I love."