Briton Efe Obada has retired from the NFL at 34 after a decade in the sport, saying he has found his “true calling” in supporting care-experienced young people. He has launched a London-based foundation for 11- to 25-year-olds, drawing on his own experience of foster care, trafficking and abandonment. The move matters because Obada is using the financial security and public profile gained through an extraordinary sporting career to address barriers faced by young people in care.

Born in Nigeria, Obada was trafficked via the Netherlands and abandoned in east London with his sister when he was 10, before living in more than 10 foster homes. Unable to attend university because he was undocumented, he later discovered American football and reached the NFL after only five amateur games, making his Carolina Panthers debut in 2018 with a sack, interception and forced fumble. He earned more than $8m (£6m) during his career and spent the 2025 season without a team before confirming his retirement.