When Kyler Murray announced he was choosing football over baseball, the A's did not shut the door on him eventually joining the organization.
The former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback did that himself on Saturday.
"I mean, they can hold out all the hope they want to," Murray told reporters in Norman, Okla. "I'm going to play football."
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SIGN UP HERE The A's drafted Murray with the No. 9 overall pick in last year's MLB draft, and allowed him to return to school for his junior season. As the Sooners' starter, Murray led Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff and won the Heisman Trophy.
Although he ruled out ever joining the club, Murray said he was grateful the A's allowed him to go back to Oklahoma in the fall. More importantly, he said they gave him space to breathe.
"That organization, being with the A's, was the best possible situation for me just because they were so great throughout the football season," Murray said, "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."
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Murray will participate in next week's NFL Scouting Combine, as he tries to solidify his status as a first-round pick. If Murray is drafted in the first round in April, he will become the first player to be a first-round pick in the MLB and NFL.
Ultimately, the A's will become just a small part of that history.