Portland Native Nick Alfieri, an American Football Player in Germany, Announces His Retirement

Just one day after WW published a story about him, Portland-born linebacker and filmmaker Nick Alfieri announced he is retiring from his American football team in Germany, the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns.

“It was a very awesome but bubbled experience in Germany,” Alfieri said in a video posted on his YouTube channel. “That is all going to be done for me now because I am officially retiring from being a professional American football player.”

In the video, Alfieri cites a string of successes (including playing in the German Bowl, Germany’s equivalent of the Super Bowl) that persuaded him that, by leaving now, he would be ending his career on a high note (age may be a factor as well; at 30, Alfieri is several years older than the average NFL player).

“I won’t say that I will never ever play football again,” Alfieri said. “Maybe I play a game or two in the coming years for the Italian national team or something like that. But as far as playing a professional American import player here in Europe, I am officially done with that, and I think it’s the right time for me to call it a career.”

Alfieri recently directed the Christian McCaffrey-produced documentary Unicorn Town, about his experience playing for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns. The film is a testament to the unlikely but undeniable popularity of American football in Germany, as well as Alfieri’s passion for the game.

“I’ve played organized football since I was 12 years old, [and] a lot more than that in the Alfieri backyard,” Alfieri said. “It’s been a huge part of my life now for 18 years, and I think it’s really helped shape a lot of aspects or who I am today. I feel like the game has given me so, so much; so many lessons off the field, and friendships and relationships off the field that will last for a lifetime, hopefully.”