By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, a third-generation Korean American, will visit South Korea for the first time this month.
A source close to the 27-year-old National Football League (NFL) star said Murray will arrive in South Korea on Sunday and will return to the United States on March 20.
"This was a last-minute decision. He will do some television appearances while in Korea and travel to Jeju Island," the source said.
This Associated Press file photo from Dec. 28, 2024, shows Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray during a press conference at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. (Yonhap)
This Associated Press file photo from Dec. 28, 2024, shows Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray during a press conference at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. (Yonhap)
Murray is also scheduled to visit Severance Hospital in Seoul on March 14 to make a donation for children with rare diseases, the source added.
Murray's maternal grandmother is Korean and his mother, married to an African-American man, is half Korean.
Murray was a two-sport star in college, excelling in American football and baseball -- first with Texas A&M University and later the University of Oklahoma.
He was drafted ninth overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft, but after winning the Heisman Trophy in 2018 as the best college football player, Murray decided to enter the 2019 NFL draft and forgo baseball. The Cardinals made him the first overall pick.
He was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 after making 16 starts for the Cardinals. He is a two-time Pro Bowl selection, too.
Murray is also one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. In 2022, Murray signed a five-year extension worth US$230.5 million, with $160 million guaranteed.
In this Associated Press file photo from Jan. 5, 2025, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray warms up before a National Football League game against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Yonhap)
In this Associated Press file photo from Jan. 5, 2025, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray warms up before a National Football League game against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Yonhap)
Over his six-year career, the mobile quarterback has 19,498 yards with 115 touchdowns, along with 3,020 rushing yards and 31 rushing touchdowns in 82 career regular-season games.
Murray plays with the South Korean national flag, Taegeukgi, on the back of his helmet and has often spoken about his pride in his South Korean heritage on social media and in interviews.
He has also spoken out against hate crime against Asians in the U.S. and donated $15,000 to a six-year-old Korean American boy William Cho, who lost his parents and brother in a Texas mass shooting in 2023.
In an interview in November last year, Murray said he would consider playing for South Korea in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, adding, "That would be an awesome experience if they asked me to do it."
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray poses in a t-shirt showing the American and South Korean national flags, in this photo captured from Murray's Instagram page on March 6, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray poses in a t-shirt showing the American and South Korean national flags, in this photo captured from Murray's Instagram page on March 6, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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