Through one year in the NFL so far, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette has become something of a cult hero for reasons beyond his receiving total. A native of Mullins, South Carolina, Legette has gained notoriety for his thick drawl and country charm, which the NFL has elected to put to good use on a stage where he one day hopes to compete.
This weekend at the Kentucky Derby, Legette is working as the NFL’s social correspondent, producing social media content at Churchill Downs, thanks in large part to his passion for horses and future ambitions in horse racing. Speaking on the “Up & Adams” podcast, Legette shared that he has 14 horses back home in Mullins, and said he one day hopes to compete in the Kentucky Derby.
“I see it as like kind of a big investment,” Legette said of raising horses. “And one day I want to get into the Derby.”
Legette also shared that he is picking Chunk of Gold to win the Derby at 30-1 odds, saying he’s “always trying to go for the underdog.”
Legette had 49 receptions for 497 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie, and he will now be joined in Carolina by fellow wide receiver and No. 8 overall draft pick Tetairoa McMillan as part of a young corps of playmakers for quarterback Bryce Young and coach Dave Canales to work with.
Interestingly, Legette isn’t the first player who has worn No. 17 for the Panthers to also be heavily invested in horse racing: Jake Delhomme, former Panthers quarterback and a member of the team’s Hall of Honor, is a third-generation horse owner and helps run Set-Hut Stable in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, which last year raised Touchuponastar, who won seven races including the Evangeline Downs Classic en route to being named Horse of the Year in Louisiana.
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