The San Francisco 49ers announced early this morning that the “Hayne plane”, Jarryd Hayne has retired from the National Football League.

49ers general manager Trent Baalke on their website said: “We would like to thank Jarryd for his contributions to the San Francisco 49ers organization and our community over the last year.

“Jarryd is a tremendous example of what can happen when you commit to a goal and do everything in your power to make it a reality. He earned the right to wear a 49ers uniform and compete alongside the best in the game. We fully support Jarryd’s decision to pursue another dream – representing the Fiji Rugby Sevens team in this summer’s Olympic games. We look forward to watching him in Rio and wish him continued success.”

An hour after the official 49ers announcement, Vodafone Fiji 7s coach Ben Ryan took to twitter to confirm that Hayne will be part of the Fiji team in London this weekend.

In other news – Jarryd Hayne joins us in camp for London 7s. 14 players to contest the 12 sports for last tournament of @WorldRugby7s

— Ben Ryan Fiji 7s (@benjaminryan) May 15, 2016

  A statement from Hayne was also published on the 49ers website.  “I am retiring from the NFL because the Fiji Rugby Sevens team reached out to me about the opportunity to join the team for the upcoming Olympics, and I simply could not pass that chance up. The Olympics has been something I have admired since I was a little boy, and it is an opportunity I feel very similar to me joining the NFL. “I’d like to thank Jed and the entire York family for giving me the opportunity to fulfill my dream of playing in the National Football League. I also want to thank Trent and his staff, as well as Jim Tomsula, Tom Rathman and the other coaches who invested in me to make this dream a reality. I’d also like to thank Coach Kelly for the opportunity to come back this year. The support and understanding from the 49ers organization was unbelievable when I let them know about my decision to pursue another dream. The past 12 months with the San Francisco 49ers have been absolutely incredible. I could not have predicted how far I have come as an NFL player. To not only be able to play in a game but also say that I started a game in the NFL is something that I will remember for a lifetime. “The 49ers organization has been incredibly supportive throughout my journey and I cannot thank them and the support staff enough. I am especially grateful to the strength and conditioning coaches, trainers and medical staff, equipment guys, public relations crew, chefs, logistics, and merchandise staff for their countless hours helping me in many different ways, so I could focus on football. Thank you to the fans from down under, as well as those around the world, who stood behind me and supported me along this amazing journey. I also want to thank the boys, especially my running back brothers, for their help and support in my transition to the NFL. I wish the team nothing but the best for the upcoming season. “Last but not least, I would like to thank the 49ers Faithful for your unwavering support. From day one you have always been in my corner and I can’t thank you enough for the love you’ve shown for the kid from down under. Signing off, your mate, number 38.” Hayne had also represented Fiji in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup and Australia in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.   On twitter, World Rugby Sevens was quick to show-off how Hayne would look like in his new Fiji 7s jumper:   

👀@JarrydHayne❗️ 🏉 @TheParraEels ✔️ 🏈 @NFL @49ers ✔️ 🏉@fijirugby ✔️ ✈️ @Rio2016_en❓ pic.twitter.com/IMVDfOlicL — World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) May 15, 2016