Kyler Murray Says Telling Athletics He's Committed to Playing in NFL 'Was Tough'

Murray said it was "obviously hard" to notify Oakland of his decision.

Former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray said it wasn't easy telling the Oakland Athletics he had chosen to play football over baseball.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Murray said it was "obviously hard" to notify the A's of his decision

"For me, it was something I've known for a while," Murray said. "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."

Despite the difficulty, Murray said he was still committed to playing in the NFL.

"I mean, they can hold out all hope they want to," Murray said. "I'm going to play football."

Murray starred in both football and baseball during his time at Oklahoma University. He led the Sooners to a 12–1 record and a College Football Playoff berth after throwing for 4,053 yards and 40 touchdowns, in addition to 892 rushing yards and 11 scores.

The Oakland Athletics selected Murray with the ninth pick of the 2018 MLB draft after posting a .296 batting average and 10 home runs as a centerfielder for Oklahoma's baseball team last year.

In January, it became apparent to the A's that Murray would choose to pursue football and he later declared to enter the 2019 NFL draft. 

Murray will be attending the NFL combine next week but has not yet revealed how much he will participate in the week's events.