» NFL ALLURE COULD PULL MURRAY FROM A’S
The chances of Kyler Murray ever playing a single inning of baseball for the Oakland A’s organization may have just taken a severe blow.
According to The Chronicle, Murray is expected to capitalize on his Heisman Trophy-winning season at Oklahoma by declaring for the NFL Draft Sunday, one day before the deadline to declare for underclassmen.
The thought of Murray choosing football over baseball back in June when he was drafted ninth overall was a pipe dream at best, but after leading the Sooners to a 12-2 record this season as they reached the College Football Playoff semifinals before falling to Alabama, the redshirt junior appears ready to capitalize on a wildly successful season.
Murray’s size is obviously a concern, but even though he’s probably smaller than his listed 5-foot-11, 195 poundframe, Murray has still received a first-round projection from ESPN NFL Draft expert Todd McShay, along with a second-round projection from fellow expert Mel Kiper Jr.
According to the report, it’s unlikely Murray will be able to play both sports. The A’s would hold the quarterback/outfielder’s rights should his NFL dream fail, but Murray would have to return the nearly $5 million signing bonus he received from the A’s after being drafted. Though a compensatory pick is often awarded in similar situations, that would not be the case here.
Overall, it’s a bad look for the A’s to have essentially wasted a top-ten pick on a baseball player who decided to choose another sport. The only good that could perhaps come out of this is the A’s getting the $5 million back and using towards a player who could help them continue the success generated from last season unexpected playoff run.
Saints' Alvin Kamara keeps quiet about Eagles after comments last summer
METAIRIE, La. — Alvin Kamara knew better than to say whatever he was thinking. Surrounded by a crowd of cameras and notepads in a corner of the Saints locker room, the second-year running back smiled and shrugged his way through the inevitable questions, wisely invoking his right to remain silent to avoid self-incrimination.
“I’m in the playoffs,” he said. “Just enjoying my teammates, enjoying the preparation, ready to play.”
Last summer, Kamara raised some eyebrows up in Philadelphia when he declared that the Saints would have “beat the (bleep)” out of the Eagles in last year's NFC Championship game had New Orleans not suffered a stunning last-second loss to Stefon Diggs and the Vikings in the divisional round. In November, Kamara was given a chance to retract or alter his comments prior to the Saints' regular-season tilt against the Eagles, but opted to let them stand.