PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — How many things can be done in a millisecond? Not much. But that fraction of time cost 27-year-old Eagles rookie wide receiver Devon Allen a chance at winning the world championship in track.
In the finals of the 110-meter hurdles, sensors clocked Allen’s reaction time after the starter gun at .099 seconds. It needed to be at .1, so it was deemed a false start, and he was disqualified.
It was a very unfortunate turn of events in Eugene, Oregon — the same city Allen played college football before taking a break to focus on track. The athlete has also been running with a heavy heart since his father’s death in June.
To the naked eye, one can’t tell Allen started early Sunday night.
“Track and field is so difficult because you train the whole year for one competition that lasts 12, 13 seconds, and that’s that,” Allen said after the race. “I’ll learn from it and I’ll make sure I just react not as fast next time.”
It appeared Allen was pleading to run in protest, but after making his case with race officials, he eventually left the track.
There was a lot of outrage on social media from sports commentators and players over Allen’s disqualification.
If Allen ran, it likely would have been a sweep for the U.S. in that event, as well as 10 medals for the day.
While Sunday’s controversial disqualification was tough to swallow, it doesn’t sound like it will deter Allen from attempting to make the roster for the Philadelphia Eagles this summer.
“My goal is to be the best hurdler ever, and I still have a chance to do that,” he added. “And my goal is to play in the NFL and help the Eagles win a Super Bowl.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.