SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Yes, Jarryd Hayne has seen and heard all of the rumors and reports Down Under that he was giving up on his American football dream and returning to his Australian rugby league roots.

No, Hayne does not subscribe to those theories. Not when he’s participating in the San Francisco 49ers offseason workout program under new coach Chip Kelly.

“I guess at the start it got a bit annoying... I guess it was disappointing, but that’s the media back home,” Hayne told reporters Wednesday at the Niners facility. “They tend to make stories up, whether it’s to sell papers or try to get more viewers. I’m accustomed to that.

“I know how they operate so for me, I knew what I was doing; I knew where I was going. I just needed to maintain focus and not let it get to me. Obviously, it’s upsetting to see fans react according to what they read or what news was on that evening. So it’s disappointing, but I think (the fans are) starting to get used to the stories that come out that aren’t true.”

An uneven rookie year in the NFL playing for a team that fell to 5-11 seemed to add credence to the notion Hayne would move on. Because after being a somewhat surprising inclusion to the 49ers’ initial 53-man roster out of training camp and winning the gig as the team’s punt returner, he fumbled away his first-ever NFL touch.

On Monday Night Football.

Seven weeks later, a relative non-factor on a team going nowhere, Hayne was waived.

And after not one of the 31 other NFL teams took a shot on him, Hayne was signed to the Niners practice squad, where he languished until a rash of injuries decimated the 49ers’ running-back corps. Hayne was promoted to the 53-man roster on Dec. 26 and he appeared in the team’s last two games.

He finished with 52 yards rushing on 17 carries, caught six passes for 27 yards and had 76 punt-return yards on eight returns, including a team-best 37-yard return at the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 27.

Now, he has a fresh start under Kelly. Of course this phase of the program is restricted to conditioning and classroom work learning formations and the playbook under the guidance of returning running-backs coach Tom Rahman.

So no, Hayne does not feel like he has to prove himself all over again.

“Not really, like I said, I learned a lot last year,” he said. “I have a blueprint now so it’s about going out there and perfecting the playbook and learning what schemes we’re running and executing at a high level.

“I’m a lot more comfortable now to be able to come in and learn straight away.”