KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Given the rarity of being an NFL player from Brazil, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos wanted to find a way to honor his native country recently when he was searching for a new pair of cleats.
He settled on a design that not only included his initials and jersey number, 5, but also a small Brazilian flag.
"This way I can show where I come from and represent Brazil," said Santos, who wore the cleats this week as the Chiefs began offseason practice. "It's a cool design and a really fresh look.
"Football is being grown so much in Brazil. I wanted the fans there to feel like they're on the field with me. I want to be an ambassador to help the sport grow even more in Brazil."
Santos, who signed with the Chiefs in 2014 as an undrafted rookie from Tulane, came to the United States as an exchange student while in high school. He settled in Jacksonville, Florida, and knew little of American football at the time. He was hoping to earn a soccer scholarship at an American university.
"Everything in my mind at that time was about soccer," Santos said. "But at the end of high school, I had to make a choice between soccer and football. I chose football. The soccer scholarship money was either 50 or 75 percent [of the total bill]. There would have still been some out-of-pocket costs for my parents. They had made such an investment for me to spend three years in high school in the United States already.
"When Tulane offered me a full ride for football, and knowing how well-respected a degree from that school is, it was a no-brainer. I was willing to give up soccer for that."
Santos not only earned his degree in business management from Tulane, he kicked well enough to earn an NFL job.
He'll be doing so this season with a new pair of kangaroo leather, white kicks that already have won the approval of at least some of his teammates, including wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.
"He's a big fan of the white cleats," Santos said. "He was the first one to notice and check it out. He approved. That made me feel good."