After John Ross was selected by the Bengals during the first round of the NFL Draft, one of the first things he did was issue a challenge to Usain Bolt.
The former Washington receiver, who set an NFL record at the combine when he ran a 4.22-second 40-yard dash, apparently decided that since he's the fastest rookie in the NFL, that meant he could probably beat the fastest man in the world in a 40-yard foot race.
"In a 40-yard dash, I think I could get Usain Bolt," Ross said.
Bolt finally heard about Ross' challenge, and let's just say that he basically laughed it off.
During a recent interview with The Undefeated, the Jamaican sprinter was asked how much of a chance Ross would have of winning the race. His answer is not a number that Ross is going to like.
"Zero," Bolt said. "Absolutely none."
The Jamaican sprinter didn't even give Ross a one percent chance of winning! I guess that's the kind of confidence that comes when you hold the world record for the fastest 100m ever (9.58).
Bolt believes that his name only comes up in these situations because he's the person that most people seem to think of when they want to challenge someone to a race.
"I think over the years, people always aim to the top. Always," Bolt said. "I've learned something through the ranks. It's a ladder, but no one wants to climb the ladder, everybody just wants to take it to the top of the ladder. They always want to beat me, but no, no chance."
Well, that seems to be that, and I think we can safely say that Bolt's "no chance" statement also applies to Falcons receiver Taylor Gabriel, who said in March that he could beat Bolt in a 30-yard race.
The moral of the story here is that there's a good chance no one in the NFL could beat Bolt in any race from any distance.
On the other hand, if someone can talk Bengals coach Marvin Lewis into letting the Ross vs. Billy Hamilton race happen, I'd pay to watch that.
