JARRYD Hayne admitted he started crying when he was notified he had secured a spot on the San Francisco 49ers' final 53-man NFL roster.
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Hayne completed one of the greatest code-switches in sporting history after making the 49ers squad on Sunday morning (AEST).
"Yeah, I did [cry]," Hayne said after he had achieved his aim of making an NFL team.
"I think it was more when I was talking to my agent [Jack Bechta] about everything we've been through. Getting set up, not knowing what's going to be the next day, not knowing where I was going.
"This journey isn't a journey where I just woke up and wanted to be an NFL player. It's been a long process. And with long processes comes a lot of dark days, a lot of joyful days and a lot of things that are emotional. Whenever I start talking about things that I have been through or the people who have helped me along the way, that's when the emotions get stirred up."
The former Parramatta Eels star said the wait to the final deadline had been an agonising one.
"Yeah it was [nerve-racking]. In NFL the way to do things if you haven't received a call by one, you're at training on Monday," he said.
In the NFL, no news is good news, but Hayne admitted he struggled until he received notification from Bechta.
"It was more trying to get confirmation more than anything. Yes? No? What's happening? Is something going on? I just called my agent and he brought the good news. It was a sigh of relief. It was good to have mum and the girls over here, I was pretty pumped."
The 27-year-old Australian looked odds on to make the 49ers' final roster after finishing the preseason with the best average rushing yards per carry in the NFL.
The 49ers confirmed his position in the team on Friday as they cut 22 more players from their roster ahead of the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday week (Tuesday, 12.20pm AEST).
