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You’ve heard the saying, “All press is good press.” AND Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murraythe company’s recent collaboration with Call of Duty proves why this stereotype exists.
The partnership comes just two years after his passion for the game tarnished the two-time Pro Bowler’s repute and made him the goal of ruthless web trolls. For now, Kyler and his team are focused on supporting veterans by working with Call of Duty Endowment Program through the newly launched Kyler Murray Foundationfocused on supporting military veterans. COD fans can expect to see a Kyler Murray skin in the future, in addition to an in-game feature for fellow Arizona star Devin Booker. After the deal, Kyler tweeted: “Thank you trolls who put me in the bag!” Although the tone was sarcastic, the message rings true.
To the trolls who put me in the bag, thanks!
I’m officially launching mine @CallofDuty cooperation! #CODPartnership #Substitute #BlackOps6 pic.twitter.com/JwpZKxSzYo
— Kyler Murray (@K1) October 7, 2024
As the shortest quarterback in the NFL, Kyler is 5 minutes and 10 years old and used to jokes. It was hard to not take it personally, though, as the memes went from making fun of his height to questioning his commitment to the game.
The change got here in 2022 after the Cardinals tried to sneak into Kyler’s contract with a strange clause requiring him to check 4 hours of film a day without “taking a break from video games,” which suggested Kyler was spending more time at the controller than at the gym. The criticism was swift and ruthless, with some pompous talking heads telling the then 25-year-old QB to “grow up” and suggesting he wasn’t mature enough to win at a high level.
Publicly, Kyler has been mostly silent on the gaming narrative and is in the midst of a profession 12 months. While his performance on the field might not be affected, his family notices his frustration in private. “I went for a ride with Kyler,” said Missy, Kyler’s mother, noting that it was a rare opportunity because she said she doesn’t normally do it. don’t let her in your luxury cars. “And he just started talking out loud. He was so frustrated that a tear came to his eye and he asked, “What can I do to make people see me as I am?”
We go on the offensive
Shaping public perception can be a challenge, especially for someone like Kyler, a self-described “reserved person.” “I don’t like talking about myself,” says the two-time skilled bowler, “but if you Google me, you will not find anything negative. The only thing I’ve done my whole life is work hard and focus on football.” Nevertheless, if you permit others to manage your narrative, you risk being misled. That’s why it’s so necessary to have a team that knows you personally and doesn’t only care about your money.
“A lot of people I know have been scammed by people they thought they could trust,” Kyler said. “They believed that these people had their best interests at heart, especially when it came to money.” For Kyler, that team consists of his parents and his business manager, Keion Alexander. “Being able to rely on them, knowing that they have my best interests at heart and will support me every day of the week – that’s the most important thing to me,” says the QB.
Keeping it in the Family
Kyler’s manager, Keion Alexander, only met the Murrays a 12 months ago, but sees them as an extension of his family. He talks to Kyler’s parents for hours every day, even calling Missy Murray “mom.” “To be good at this job, you have to understand not only your client now, but them as a child, even as an infant,” Alexander says.
While Kyler’s parents admit they never expected his passion for gaming would result in a multi-million-dollar endorsement deal, they are not necessarily surprised. “Kyler has won his whole life,” his father said. “He accomplished things that no one had ever done before, including becoming the first athlete drafted in the first round of the NFL and MLB. Now we just need to develop that same mentality off the pitch.”
Kyler and his father, a former QB himself, have a special bond. “We communicate without talking,” says Kevin Murray. This connection moved seamlessly from the board to the boardroom, where he took an lively role in Kyler’s business ventures. During the NFL season, when Kyler’s availability is limited, Alexander leans on him to realize insight into Kyler’s mind while his son is busy throwing touchdowns.
Missy Murray is contributing by serving as president of the newly established Kyler Murray Foundation. The family plans to announce the foundation on Nov. 10 during the Cardinals game against the NY Jets, where they may even host a group of veterans.
He says he encourages his son to focus on social issues near his family. As the daughter of a black father and a Korean mother, Kyler’s mother has a personal interest in improving relations between the two ethnic communities. On her first visit to Korea as a child, the first word she learned was the N-word. “People don’t like to talk about these issues,” he explains, “but we know they’re important.” She wants her son to be proud of each side of his heritage. “Kyler embraces his Asian side, but we don’t condemn the black side,” he says. “We want to celebrate both.”
The foundation may even defend veterans’ rights by honoring Kyler’s grandfather, who served in the military for greater than 30 years. “When my father died, we only received $250 to transport his body across the country,” Missy Murray said. “The army doesn’t take care of its own people and I want to change that.”
Building a lasting legacy
The Murrays wish to arrange a Rockefeller-style family office and create generational wealth. It’s an ambitious and expensive endeavor, but Alexander believes it might be done. “A family office should generate $20 million in revenue per year, whether through private equity, real estate or other ventures,” he explains. This goal is not unattainable considering Kyler’s $230 million NFL contract and Alexander’s connections in the business world. He relies on these contacts to assist him confirm deals or acquire early-stage investment opportunities. “We want to become billionaires,” says Alexander. “So we should listen to billionaires.”
Changing the narrative
While Kyler now calls working with COD a dream come true, Alexander admits he needed to squeeze the star point guard into the mix. Alexander acknowledges Kyler’s well-known and often criticized love of gaming as the elephant in the room, but as he jokes, “I love elephants.”
“I love focusing on negative topics and creating a positive narrative around them,” she says. “So I took the criticism as an opportunity.”
“I think it was just a natural maturation of media attention around me and the game,” Kyler says of the COD alliance. He hopes to vary the conversation around him from “just a gamer” to a video game entrepreneur. “Maybe in ten years he’ll create his own video game,” Alexander suggested, the idea immediately coming to him.
With Alexander’s help, Kyler, at just 27 years old, has built an impressive and diversified portfolio that features investments in fashion brands comparable to Wristcheck and MILE – Alexander’s favorite brand – and two beverage firms founded by serial entrepreneur Lance Collins: Recover180 and ZenWTR. “You want to invest in founders with a proven track record,” Alexander explains. He desires to make sure Kyler maintains balance in his investments, taking into account each the scene and the industry, while encouraging the two-time Pro Bowler to pursue his passions. The COD deal is just the starting. “I don’t know if the partnership will change people’s opinions,” Kyler says. “But it’s good to have a voice and be able to express how I feel.”
For anyone who feels misunderstood, Kyler’s advice is easy. “I just try to be myself,” he says. “I rely on the people around me to wish to see me win – my teammates, coaches, family and good friends. They motivate me on and off the pitch.” Kyler realizes that haters will at all times find a strategy to attack someone in his position. But he does his best to follow his mother’s (and Katt William’s) advice: if you do not have haters, you are doing something flawed.