Golf is one of the most popular second sports for professional athletes due to its low physical impact and relaxation benefits.
However, NFL quarterback Jalen Hurts’s contract with the Philadelphia Eagles specifically bans him from the sport.
On Wednesday, October 31, Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley and team owner Jeffrey Lurie were invited to Merion Golf Club to play with golfers that included former president Barack Obama. Despite the invite, Hurts wasn’t allowed to play.
“To see him out there enjoying himself and talking a little trash, that was cool,” the NFL quarterback said about watching Obama in an interview with CBS Sports. “I told him he didn’t want these problems just yet. I can’t golf right now. By contract, I can’t golf. His day will come.”
Last year, Hurts signed a $255m contract with the Eagles that is not set to expire for five years and although he can’t play golf, Barkley does think Hurts is interested in playing. “I think he got the bug there,” he said.
“I think he got to see how fun it is. It was kinda like relaxing too. To be able to get away and take your mind off the game, every little bit helps.”
Hurts said he was just grateful to be able to spend time with Obama.
“An all-time leader, a great presence,” Hurts said. “I guess the word is down to earth. I can only imagine that lifestyle and the different things that come with that... Every time I’ve been able to speak with them, be in their presence, it’s always been a fruitful conversation. Nothing aimless about it.
“I feel left their presence as a better person, a more wiser person. Honestly, I hope to have the same impact on them too.”
Last month, Hurts’s engagement was confirmed to his girlfriend Bryonna “Bry” Burrows. Speaking to Essence at the time it was revealed that the football player proposed to her during the NFL offseason while they were on a tropical vacation together. To make the experience more romantic he made sure to set up roses and candles in addition to a violinist. In photos provided to Essence, the two of them were seen smiling in matching white outfits and looking off into the sunset on the beach.
The couple first met in college when they both attended the University of Alabama where Hurts played on the school’s football team for three seasons from 2016 to 2018 before transferring to the University of Oklahoma for his senior year.
Hurts ended up being drafted by the Eagles in 2020 during round two of the NFL draft where he succeeded Carson Wentz as the Eagles’ starter at the end of his rookie season.
Hurts, Barkley, and the Eagles will next take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 3 at 4:05pm ET.
