Patriots sign Olympic sprinter Jeff Demps

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BOSTON, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- The New England Patriots signed Olympic sprinter Jeff Demps to a three-year contract Friday night, his agents said.

The former Florida running back was part of the U.S. Olympic team that won the silver-medal in the 4X100-meter relay and will ready to hit the practice field next week, the Boston Herald said.

Demps' co-agents, Daniel Rose and Nohemy Baltodano, told the newspaper they had received inquires from all 32 NFL teams and selected New England.

The Herald noted that Demps was not drafted due to uncertainty whether he would return to football after the Olympics. There was no bidding war for his services due to the NFL's salary cap for undrafted rookies.

The New England front office said Demps lacked a bit in size during his career at Florida but had good hands and was, of course, fast. Demps, 22, returned kicks and carried the ball for 2,951 yards and 24 touchdowns in his four years with the Gators.