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Marquise Goodwin Beats Donte Jackson to Win 40 Yards of Gold's $1 Million Prize
June 30, 2019
Marquise Goodwin is $1 million richer.
The San Francisco 49ers wide receiver topped the field in Saturday night's inaugural 40 Yards of Gold competition hosted by Chad Ochocinco at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.
The 40-yard race was meant to determine the fastest man in the NFL, though former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho didn't think a competition was necessary to dub Goodwin the fastest man in the league:
The event was divided up into an offensive side and defensive side of the bracket, totaling 16 players:
Goodwin defeated Denver Broncos running back Khalfani Muhammad in the offensive final to advance to the final against Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson. Jackson barely edged out Chicago Bears defensive back John Franklin III by 0.01 seconds in the defensive final. The crowd was rooting on Franklin, who played wide receiver at Florida Atlantic University in 2017.
Goodwin has long been heralded for his speed. The 28-year-old posted a 4.27-second 40-yard dash time at the 2013 NFL combine before the Buffalo Bills selected him in the third round. Even before that, though, Goodwin was a decorated track and field athlete.
Friday, Goodwin prepared for the competition by hanging poolside with a tiger and catching footballs while balancing on an elephant's back. Some people are just built differently.
While Goodwin has made a name for himself, perhaps the biggest star to grace the makeshift track was Grammy-nominated rapper Rick Ross, who performed during an intermission before the Goodwin-Jackson final:
Another superstar present was New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl running back and 2017 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Alvin Kamara. Kamara was ousted from the tournament by New York Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson in the first round.
Goodwin can stack this $1 million next to the $2.95 million base salary he's set to earn next season, according to Spotrac.
And if we can take anything away from Ochocinco's exorbitant track record, it's that 40 Yards of Gold will probably be back and even bigger next year.