August 5, 2025
‘I was definitely a little shocked when my name was mentioned.’
President Donald Trump recently announced that Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was joining his newly formed Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, surprising the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, who stated that he had turned down the president’s request to be on the council.
According to The Associated Press, the president has reinstated the council and expressed that Barkley, along with other sports figures, golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Nelly Korda, former WWE wrestler and now executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque, NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, and retired New York Yankees relief pitcher, Mariano Rivera had agreed to be on the council.
However, after attending practice for the upcoming NFL season starting in several weeks, Barkley stated that he was shocked to hear his name mentioned since he told President Trump that he was “going to be super busy” to be on it.
“A couple months ago, it was brought to my team about the council,” Barkley told reporters. “So I’m not really too familiar with it. I felt like that I am going to be super busy. 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.”
Barkley, who left the New York Giants to sign as a free agent with the Eagles, had a record-breaking season in his first year with the franchise, helping them win last season’s Super Bowl. Just one year after joining the team, the Eagles made Barkley the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
The running back reportedly inked a contract extension worth $41.2 million, with $36 million guaranteed. The deal also includes $15 million in incentives. Earlier this summer, it was announced that he made the cover of EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 26, making him the first Eagle to grace the game’s cover in 20 years. The game will be released Aug. 14 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via the EA app for Windows, Steam, and Epic Games Store.
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