A few weeks after formally declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft, Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray made a press tour in Atlanta during Super Bowl week, but continually dodged questions over his preference to play in the NFL, or to honor his MLB contract with the Oakland Athletics.
Murray visited The Dan Patrick Show on February 1st and stonewalled the host, refusing to answer any questions that might indicate his future plans. It made for delightfully awkward TV.
Dan Patrick: “Are you going to the combine?”
Kyler Murray: “…… I don’t know.”
Dan Patrick: “Pro day?”
Kyler Murray: “I mean, that’s after the combine.”
Dan Patrick: “Yeah, are you going to do a pro day?”
Kyler Murray: [silence]
Dan Patrick: “Yeah?”
Kyler Murray: “I guess, if you want to say ‘yeah.’ Yeah.”
Dan Patrick: “It’s OK, you can have a pro day.”
Kyler Murray: “That would imply that I was going to play football.”
Murray was honored at an Oklahoma basketball game on Saturday, and he opened up to reporters about having to tell the Athletics about his decision to play football. According to Murray, he’s known “for a while” that he’s a football player at heart, meaning the Patrick interview likely was just a hilarious charade.
Via USA TODAY Sports:
“For me, it was something I’ve known for a while. That organization, being with the A’s, was the best possible situation for me just because they were so great throughout the football season, kind of leaving me alone and letting me do my own thing, and at the same time letting me know how much I meant to them and that type of stuff. Telling them was tough…. The night I got drafted to the A’s – obviously it was a great day of my life – but I’ve been a football player my whole life.”
Murray will attend the upcoming NFL combine in Indianapolis, but has not yet indicated if he plans to fully participate. The combine will begin on February 26th.
