Travis Benjamin

The unique tradition that paved Travis Benjamin's path to the NFL

Published Jun. 1, 2016 3:57 p.m. ET

Aaron Torres

The Pahokee area of South Florida has become famous for the talented football players it produces. Close to 60 players from the area have made it to the "league," including Fred Taylor, Santonio Holmes and Anquan Boldin.

The natural follow-up question, of course, is how so much talent has come out of one small stretch of Florida. The answer: rabbits. Yes, rabbits. That's because an area that is known for sugar cane is overrun with rabbits. When residents burn the fields before harvesting and the rabbits start running, they chase them. In turn, the citizens build up speed, which translates to the football field.

It sounds insane, but it's is something that for years has helped Pahokee football players, a group that includes new San Diego Charger Travis Benjamin. After catching 68 passes last season (in Cleveland) he spoke with ESPN.com and admitted that he too was part of the unusual tradition.

From there, he continued.

Overall it's a fascinating interview with Benjamin and even moreso a fascinating tradition altogether.

There's a short video from a few years ago on the tradition (embedded above), and it's definitely worth taking a couple minutes to check out.

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Travis Benjamin

Los Angeles Chargers

National Football League