Cousin of former NY Jets WR Jeremy Kerley wins silver medal

Fred Kerley – cousin of Jeremy – claims silver

New York Jets fans may have noticed a familiar name at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Sunday.

Team USA’s Fred Kerley placed second in the Men’s 100m final at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, earning a silver medal with a personal-best time of 9.84 seconds. Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs took the gold with a time of 9.80.

Lamont Marcell Jacobs for the GOLD in the men’s 100m final. Fred Kerley brings home the silver. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/fxvMGjIYHU

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 1, 2021

Fred is a cousin of Jeremy, who racked up 204 catches for 2,442 yards and 10 touchdowns over 82 games with the Jets.

Jeremy was selected by the Jets out of TCU with the 153rd overall pick in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft. He played five seasons in New York from 2011-15 and rejoined the Jets for a sixth season in 2017 after having a cup of tea with the 49ers in 2016. His totals of 204 receptions and 2,442 receiving yards each rank 20th in Jets franchise history.

There was never a formal retirement announcement from Jeremy, who is currently 32 years old and will turn 33 in November, but he has not been seen in the NFL since playing one game with the Buffalo Bills in 2018.

Still only 26 years old, Fred is the younger cousin by six-and-a-half years. He spent two years at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas before transferring to Texas A&M for his final two years. With the Aggies, Fred won the 400m event at the 2017 NCAA Division I Championships, posting a time of 44.85s that stood as one of the top 10 fastest indoor times in history.

The Kerley boys hail from the greater Austin, Texas area. Fred graduated from Taylor High School in Taylor, Texas, about a 35-mile drive northeast of Austin. Jeremy graduated from Hutto High School in Hutto, Texas, which is Taylor’s neighbor to the west.

Speaking about his performance in the 100m, Fred seemed pleased with his result.

“You’ve got to be happy with coming to the biggest stage of your career because a lot of people can’t say they came to the Olympic Games.” Kerley told reporters. He added that the “100m has got to be the sharpest, there’s not room for mistakes.”

The 100m event had been dominated by Usain Bolt over the last three Olympic Games, who claimed gold in three consecutive Games before announcing his retirement. He still owns the world record time (9.58).

Kerley is set to compete for Team USA in the men’s 200m and the men’s 4x100m relay.

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