How loyal are you to your favorite sneaker brand? Would you pass up a prize worth a million dollars if it meant keeping your favorite shoes on your feet? It looks like Washington wide receiver and current NFL prospect John Ross would say yes to both those questions.
In the lead-up to this year's NFL combine, adidas promised to provide an island with a value of up to one million dollars to any prospect who broke the 40-yard dash record:
Ross did just that on Saturday morning. His official time was recorded at 4.22 seconds, besting the previous record (4.24) set by running back Chris Johnson in 2008. The NFL put together this cool comparison footage, where you can see Ross fly by NFL stars Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr. at their respective combines:
Thankfully for adidas, they made sure to include some stipulations in the fine print, and Ross will not be leaving Indianapolis with ownership of an island. The prize winner would have had to wear adidas cleats during the record-breaking performance to be eligible, and Ross had Nike cleats on his feet when he earned his spot in the record books.
To the average person, that might seem like a bummer. But Ross doesn't seem too worked up about it, and claimed he wouldn't be able to take advantage of the island anyway:
His time of 4.22 will make the headlines, but NFL teams clocked him with even better times, according to several reporters attending the scouting event.
Ross was already being mocked as a first-round talent prior to breaking the record, and his name is going to continue bouncing around NFL front offices after Saturday's high-octane sprint.
Was it worth missing out on the big prize to wear the shoes he's most comfortable in? Only Ross can say for sure. But if a million-dollar island was on the line, most people would probably sacrifice brand loyalty for a piece of beachfront property.Â
