Former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray had a tough decision to make when it came down to choosing between a career in major league baseball or staying with football.
Murray, projected to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, said Saturday that it was "obviously hard" telling the Athletics he would be committing to football.
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"For me, it was something I've known for a while," Murray said, via ESPN. "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 Heisman Trophy winner was drafted with the ninth overall pick by the A's last summer, but he doesn't plan on changing his mind anytime soon.
"I mean, they can hold out all the hope if they want to," Murray added. "I'm going to play football."
The Arizona Cardinals have the No. 1 pick in the draft and have their eyes on Murray. If he is selected in the first round, he will be the first athlete to be drafted in the first round of both sports.
"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 [football] 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."
In his first season as the Sooners' starting QB, Murray led the team to the College Football Playoff. He passed for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. He also rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns.