Saquon Barkley Sparks Divided Reaction Among Fans After Refusing Donald Trump's Sports Council Invitation

Just a few months after Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Saquon Barkley caused controversy for hanging out with President Donald Trump, the NFL player said he was "surprised" to be tapped for the politician's sports council.

For those unfamiliar, President Trump signed an executive order in July 2025, officially establishing a council tasked with advising him on a range of topics related to sports and fitness. According to a report from ESPN, the council would comprise 30 members, and the president named several high-profile athletes to the list, including Tua Tagovailoa, Harrison Butker, and Wayne Gretzky.

Barkley, who has previously expressed his admiration for Trump, was also named to the council; however, the Super Bowl champion turned down the opportunity, citing his busy schedule.

"A couple months ago, it was brought to my team about the council. So I'm not really too familiar with it," he said, per ESPN. "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."

On X, several users seemed uninterested in Barkley's political affiliations, with one writing, "I don't care who this dude likes politically. Just get on my fantasy team."

Another user commented, "Who cares? He's his friend, and the fact [that] people are upset with who he associates with blows my mind."

Other users, however, took shots at the NFL running back, who had sparked controversy months ago after being seen with Trump on the golf course.

"His PR firm trying to backtrack since he played golf with him," someone wrote, while another posted, "Don't try and back pedal now."

The disappointed reaction from fans echoes a similar response he received in April 2025, when he was spotted golfing with Trump. The reaction worsened after the latter spoke with reporters and referred to the NFL star as a "nice guy," later joking, "I wanted to race him, but I decided not to do it."

Online, users blasted Barkley for "CHOOSING to endorse a rapist" and a "person who was found LIABLE of RAPE."

Other commenters continued slamming Barkley, with one calling the 28-year-old "embarrassing as f-ck."

However, Barkley seemed unfazed by the feedback, writing on X, “Lol some people are really upset cause I played golf and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT."

He continued, “Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump!"

“Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have [an] amazing day," he finished.

Barkley's response to spending time with President Trump is different from that of his Eagles teammate, Jalen Hurts, who upset some MAGA supporters after skipping the customary White House visit for Super Bowl winners due to "scheduling conflicts."

Of course, Hurts has never seemed too interested in speaking about Trump, considering he kept his feelings about the leader of the free world attending Super Bowl LIX brief and to the point.

"He's welcome to do what he wants," Hurts said.

Meanwhile, Kansas City Chiefs players such as Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes couldn't contain their excitement about Trump being in the stadium to watch the Super Bowl LIX showdown.

"It's awesome," Kelce said. "It's a great honor. No matter who the president is, I'm excited because it's the biggest game of my life. And having the president there, you know, it's the best country in the world. So, that'd be pretty cool."

His on-field partner and crime, Mahomes, echoed that sentiment, explaining that it's "always cool to be able to play in front of a sitting president."