Saquon Barkley was one of the athletes named to Donald Trump‘s “President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition,” which included 30 names of athletes from different sports.
The 28-year-old Philadelphia Eagles running back was previously photographed spending time with the POTUS, so many assumed he might have been a Trump supporter.
While his inclusion in the council was not necessarily a surprise on first glance, Saquon then revealed that he actually turned down his position in the council.
He said (via ESPN), “A couple months ago, it was brought to my team about the council. So I’m not really too familiar with it. 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.”
Some names included in the council are NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL players Nick Bosa, Tua Tagovailoa, and Harrison Butker, former NFL player Lawrence Taylor, golfer Jack Nicklaus, NHL retiree Wayne Gretzky, and LIV Tour golfer Bryson DeChambeau.