FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, October 16th, 2022
JALEN HURTS SPEAKS TO MARIA TAYLOR FOR TONIGHT’S “FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA”
“Going in as a freshman at Alabama, you earn your respect by what you do on the field. When I came to Philadelphia, I just had the same mindset.” – Jalen Hurts
“We have a very special relationship because I know I can always call him; he’ll answer the phone and I do the same for him.” – Hurts on his relationship with his father
Coverage of Cowboys-Eagles Begins with Football Night in America at 7 p.m. ET; Followed by 8:20 p.m. ET Kickoff on NBC and Peacock
STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 16, 2022 – In advance of tonight’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts spoke to Maria Taylor for tonight’s episode of Football Night in America, which begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Hurts discussed his leadership style, how he stays focused, his strong relationship with his family and more. Click here to watch the full interview, portions of which will air in tonight’s FNIA. Following are highlights of the FULL interview:
On being a leader
“It takes a special person to do it…I give a lot of credit to my teammates, me coming out here and earning their respect…Going in as a freshman at Alabama, you earn your respect by what you do on the field. When I came to Philadelphia, I just had the same mindset. I wanted to prove to my teammates and my teammates are the only ones that matter to me. You earn their respect as a player, and then get to know them as a leader and as a friend…That’s always been my formula.”
On his relationship with his father and his nickname “bug”
“For whatever reason, he calls me that. Since I was a kid, he called me ‘bug’…Big Hurts was my dad, Little Hurts was my brother, and they called me J-Bug. J-Bug was mine, so it kind of stuck…We have a very special relationship because I know I can always call him; he’ll answer the phone and I do the same for him.”
On staying focused
“Keep on controlling what you can. And that, ironically, is stuff that I preach to the team now. It’s deeply rooted in my experiences. Keep the main thing the main thing. Control what you can and keep getting better as a player. Those are the things that I focus on.”
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Football Night in America is hosted by Maria Taylor and features Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison, former NFL head coach Jason Garrett, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, NFL Insider Mike Florio, and fantasy sports industry pioneer Matthew Berry. This week’s show is also co-hosted by Kathryn Tappen and Ahmed Fareed.
Football Night, the most-watched studio show in sports since its debut in 2006, begins every Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. The coordinating producer of FNIA is Matt Casey. FNIA is directed by Kaare Numme.
—FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA—
