Brandon Brooks, the Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Lineman recently hit the news. President Donald Trump invited him to join his council on sports, fitness and nutrition — and he turned it down. Barkley said he was caught off guard by the nomination. To my surprise, he replied right away and informed me that he was rejecting the offer.
President Trump formed the council on July 31 with an executive order. This council advises him on all aspects of sports and physical education. Its objective is to foster a new generation of healthy, active citizens by recommending actions on challenges and school-based programs that promote excellence in physical education. The council will be made up of no more than 30 members. It will include influencers from the sports community like NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, players Nick Bosa, Tua Tagovailoa and Harrison Butker, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor. Other recognizable sports figures—including Jack Nicklaus, Wayne Gretzky, and Bryson DeChambeau—are joining this effort, too.
Barkley says he first heard from his team about the idea of getting chosen to be on the council a few months ago. He decided in the end that he couldn’t join because of his commitments. In a short statement after practice at the NovaCare complex, he reflected on receiving the invite.
“I felt like I am going to be super busy, so me and my family thought it would probably be of best interest to not accept that. I was definitely a little shocked when my name was mentioned. I’m assuming it’s something great, so I appreciate it but was a little shocked when my name was mentioned.” – Saquon Barkley
The development comes amid a pretty engaging stretch of Barkley’s socializing with political leaders. As the world knows, he played golf with former President Barack Obama at Merion Golf Club in October. This engagement was met with a fair amount of derision on social media after he wasted time fellowshiping with President Trump. In my reply, I pointed out that this was a sure sign of Barkley’s commitment to building bridges across the aisle.
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