Saquon Barkley has faced plenty of criticism over the last few days after playing a game of golf with none other than the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Last Saturday, President Trump and Barkley played golf at his golf club in New Jersey. This was ahead of the Super Bowl celebrations at the White House, which Barkley attended as well.
Now, memes and jokes have been circulating on social media, criticizing Barkley for his decision to play golf with the POTUS. With that not being enough, Barkley has also been branded by numerous nicknames, some in very offensive taste, by social media users. The Philadelphia Eagles running back has been called ‘Saqoon’ by some, ‘Magaquon Barkley’ by others and ‘Slavequon’ by even more people on the internet.
Emmanuel Acho, former NFL player and sports analyst, discussed this topic on ‘The Facility’ condemning those who use slur-like nicknames for Barkley. Acho went on to remark that everyone is entitled to their own personal choices and at the same time, also need to understand the consequences of the same.
“I got no issue,” Acho said on Tuesday, via ‘The Facility.’ “I’ve got no issue with Hurts skipping the White House visit. Hurts understands the repercussions of his attending the White House. I think he’s also cognizant of the cultural repercussions of him attending the White House. First, those who are unaware of the cognition that I’m referring to (is) Saquon golfing with President Trump. Now on social media, they’re calling ‘slavequon,’ and I hate the amount of venom that is occurring to the players who don’t go, the players who do go. Saquon Barkley, by everything, every metric — great Father, great partner, great player, great leader.” Emmanuel Acho said about Saquon Barkley in ‘The Facility’.
I have no issue w/ Jalen Hurts skipping the White House, but I do have an issue with people calling Saquon, “slavequon.”
However, as someone whose book about historical racial inequities has been banned by our government, I also believe Saquon must understand the repercussions. pic.twitter.com/pZp3p5MSXY
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) April 29, 2025
Saquon Barkley’s decision to play golf with the sitting POTUS came under even more fire when Jalen Hurts, the quarterback for the Eagles, chose to skip attending the event. Hurts and several other players cited ‘scheduling conflicts’ and did not make it to the celebration.
Saquon Barkley Calls Out Haters After Receiving Backlash For Playing Golf
Saquon Barkley went undeterred after he saw all the criticism pouring in for choosing to play golf with the US President. Barkley tweeted, calling out his haters, and explained that he chose to respect the office, even if he might not respect the person.
Barkley also reminded folks that President Donald Trump is not the first POTUS he has played golf with. In the past, Barkley also played a round of golf with Barack Obama and asked social media users to not associate himself and politics.
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