NEW YORK -- Two-sport star Kyler Murray said Monday he has submitted his name for this year's NFL Draft but a Major League Baseball career still remains an option for the 21-year-old Texan.
Murray won the Heisman Trophy as American football's top college player this past season as quarterback for Oklahoma University after having been selected ninth overall by the Oakland Athletics in last year's Major League Baseball Draft for his skills as an outfielder.
Murray announced on Twitter he has filed paperwork before a midnight deadline to be eligible for this year's NFL Draft, ending his collegiate eligibility, but that only delays the choice he must make.
The Athletics open pre-season training camp on February 15 while the NFL Scouting Combine to analyze prime draft prospects is February 26 and Murray will likely require time for workouts to produce peak efforts at whichever sport he selects.
Keeping his NFL options open would buy time for Murray to explore his value for NFL clubs to better decide whether he would prefer years with a 162-game baseball campaign or a more punishing but potentially more lucrative 16-game NFL season.
It's all in the family for Murray, whose maternal grandmother is from South Korea. He's the son of a former college quarterback and the nephew of a former Major League Baseball player.
At 5-foot-10 (1.78m), Murray would be the shortest NFL quarterback since Doug Flutie in 2005. But Murray comes off a season where he threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns while rushing for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns.
For Oklahoma's baseball squad, Murray batted .296 with 10 home runs and 47 runs batted in with 13 doubles and 28 walks.
Murray was signed to a minor-league baseball contract by Oakland last year, a $4.66 million bonus deal that allowed him to play last year at Oklahoma.
The A's reportedly spoke last weekend with Murray and would have to make some changes to his contract to allow him to leave training camp for the NFL scouting combine workouts.
Murray's representatives have indicated no plans to attempt a two-career NFL-MLB double, a feat most notably done by Bo Jackson from 1987-1990 with the NFL Los Angeles Raiders and MLB Kansas City Royals until a hip injury suffered in an NFL playoff game ended his gridiron days.
Murray would likely begin his baseball career in lower-level developmental leagues before working his way into the major leagues while he potentially could jump directly into a key role for an NFL team.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
