It’s a safe assumption that Vernon Davis is the only NFL player who owns a curling broom.

“Hey, I’ve got three of them,” said Davis, the 49ers star tight end.

Consider him America’s best-known curling personality. When USA Curling learned that Davis was fascinated with the niche sport, the organization invited him to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as the team’s honorary captain. And now he will be in Russia for the Sochi Games.

“We’ve had quite a few celebrities show an interest, but Vernon is the one who has devoted the most time,” said Rick Patzke head of USA Curling.

In fact, Davis appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show recently where he demonstrated his technique to the befuddled host. Davis confesses that “I’m a different kind of guy” and curling certainly qualifies as a different kind of game.

“I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s just one of those sports that intrigues me,” Davis added. “There’s a lot of strategy. I try to get out on the ice whenever I can. It’s a harder game than it looks.”

But Davis is a natural, said Barry Ivy, a longtime member of the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club.

“He took to it very fast,” Ivy said. “After a half-hour, he knew what he was doing. He’s just a superb athlete. But then he could probably be in the ballet if he wanted. There’s probably not much that he can’t do.”

— By Mark Emmons