 A’s: Kyler Murray again says football is his future.

MESA, Ariz. — If there was any doubt Kyler Murray won’t consider a down-theroad baseball career with the A’s, he made it clear Saturday.

“I mean, they can hold out all the hope they want to,” Murray said. “I’m going to play football.”

Murray was interviewed by reporters in Norman, Okla., where he was honored during a timeout at the Oklahoma-Texas basketball game. He had his Heisman Trophy in his grasp.

On Feb. 11, Murray tweeted that he was “firmly and fully committing” to playing in the NFL. The A’s selected him ninth overall in the June draft, and then he quarterbacked Oklahoma to the Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff semifinals, making an NFL career more realistic.

“For me, it was something I’ve known for a while,” Murray said of his football pursuit. “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 A’s, who retain Murray’s baseball rights, publicly supported his dream to play another year of college football. He did not inform the A’s of his decision to enter the NFL draft before announcing it on social media.

“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 said. “I didn’t know how the NFL felt about me before this season because I hadn’t played. Going into this season, (the goal) was to put myself in the best position possible. Obviously, when you win, good things happen. A lot of good stuff happened this year.”

Murray plans to be at the NFL combine next week.

Jeff Chiu / Associated Press 2018 Kyler Murray made it clear Saturday that he doesn’t think baseball will be in his future.