NFL player Dan Whelan wears Irish tricolour on his helmet to celebrate international diversity

IRISH NFL punter Dan Whelan was seen wearing an Irish tricolor in celebration of international diversity in the league.

Born in Enniskerry, Wexford, Whelan, who plays for the Green Bay Packers, is the first Irish NFL player in 38 years, with the last gridiron Gael being Neil O'Donoghue in 1985.

Whelan and Green Bay lost 19-17 to the struggling Denver Broncos thanks to a Will Lutz field goal with just under four minutes left in the game.

Whelan punted three times during the game, landing two of his kicks inside the 20-yard line, with his longest kicking going for 59 yards.

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Green Bay have now won two games and lost four so far this season, putting them third in their NFC North division, having won a game in hand over the Chicago Bears.

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Whelan and his family moved to Palm Springs, California, when he was 13 and he made the initial transition from soccer to American football at Rancho Mirage High School, starting off as a kicker before turning heads in college as a punter.

After graduating, he was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints franchise however did not play a single second of football.

After a brief stint in the XFL, a rival professional football league, he returned to the NFL as part of the extended Packers squad, this time winning a stating spot and, so far, impressing.

Whelan is currently ranked 15th among NFL punters, averaging 48 yards per kick with his longest effort going 68 yards.

The Packers play the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday at home in Lambeau Field at 5pm GMT.