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When news broke that Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley were afforded a chance to play golf with Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and former President Barack Obama, it felt like a big deal for Philadelphia's two offensive leaders.
Say what you will about politics, but getting to pick the brain of a former world leader, one of an elite fraternity of men capable of leading the arms forces, the executive brands, and his party all at the same time? That had to be an incredible experience for a pair of football players tasked with leading their team through the regular season, postseason, and on to the NFL's ultimate prize: Super Bowl glory.
And yet, while speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Hurts let it be known that his experience wasn't exactly what was initially reported, even if the final result still ended up being a once-in-a-lifetime afternoon.
Jalen Hurts valued his time with President Obama
Understandably asked about his golf outing with Obama and Lurie, Hurts revealed that while he had an exceptional time, he didn't actually get to do any golfing, as, per John Clark, he isn't allowed to play the game as per a stipulation in his contract.
“Jalen Hurts says he did not actually golf yesterday with former President Obama, Saquon Barkley, and Jeff Lurie,” Clark wrote on social media. “Jalen hung with the group the whole time. He says it’s in his contract that he can’t golf. Saquon says it was one of the coolest experiences of his life.”
On one hand, it's a bummer that Hurts wasn't allowed to play golf with Obama and Lurie, as securing a win over the 44th President of the United States would have been an all-time bucket list accomplishment worthy of being discussed at cocktail parties for the rest of time. But then again, could you imagine how angry fans would have been had Hurts – or Barkley, for that matter – suffered a season-ending injury during their friendly exhibition game?
Goodness, no one involved would have lived that down, especially Obama, who would certainly be accused of ruining the Eagles' season in every social media post he makes for the rest of time. All in all, it would appear the Eagles made the correct call, especially since Hurts got to effectively have his cake without any of the calories associated with it; a win-win situation for the Eagles organization if there ever was one.
