ENFIELD, England (AP) — Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton asked the team bus driver in London how long it would take to get to Leicester.

Too long, it turns out, because Payton is too busy preparing his team to face the New York Jets on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But the memories are close for Payton, who played quarterback for the Leicester Panthers in 1988. The Panthers had played in what amounted to a semi-pro league in the British American Football Association. The sport had begun to gain popularity after public broadcaster Channel 4 started airing NFL highlights in the early 1980s.

Payton reminisced Wednesday about his experience in the central English city. Teams could have four Americans, and the rest were locals.

“They had all sorts of jobs,” he said of his British tea

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