Hurts’ donation will benefit more than 5,000 students in the Philadelphia area, the school district’s superintendent said

Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles. PHOTO: TIM NWACHUKWU/GETTY IMAGES

Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Hurts is a hero on and off the football field.

Hurts, 25, donated $200,000 to local Philadelphia schools for the installation of 300 new air conditioning units, according to Good Morning America.

The superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, Dr. Tony B. Watlington Sr., told the morning show that Hurts’ donation will benefit 10 local schools and will impact more than 5,000 students in the area.

Watlington Sr. said that “more than half” of the schools in his district “lack appropriate air-conditioning” to accommodate a comfortable environment when temperatures rise.

“When the temperature climbs higher than 86 to 90 degrees, we too often have to let our kids go home early,” he told GMA. “And that really impacts student achievement,” the superintendent added.

According to GMA, Hurts spoke at a Philadelphia school as he announced the donation.

“I think back to my time as a student, not being able to imagine some of the things that you guys have to go through,” Hurts reportedly said during his visit to the school.

The Eagles quarterback added, “I just want to serve you guys and help in any way I can.”

Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles. PATRICK SMITH/GETTY

The quarterback’s generous donation will also benefit Philadelphia’s teachers, Watlington Sr. said, per GMA, explaining, “It benefits teachers, as well, because when teachers have optimal teaching conditions, they’re more likely to return as teachers.”

According to GMA, the district has started installing the air conditioning units and Watlington Sr. expects all 300 units to be installed by the beginning of the next school year.

The news of Hurts’ donation comes shortly after he and Eagles teammates Brandon Graham and Jason Kelce (who has since retired from the NFL) made cameos on the season 3 premiere of Abbott Elementary, the popular sitcom set inside a Philadelphia public school.

In the episode, the Eagles players surprised the school’s teachers and students via Zoom.

“The world’s finest starting quarterback is here,” Principal Ava, played by Janelle James, said as word of Hurts’ appearance spread around the school in the season premiere.

In another scene, the Eagles quarterback teased Janine Teagues (series creator and star Quinta Brunson) about her height when she ran into the room to find him on the screen.

Later in the episode, Kelce and Graham tell Hurts he is late for practice, after the quarterback’s Hail Mary attempt at setting up a marriage proposal involving Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter) went awry.

In May 2023, Hurts signed a historic five-year, $255 million contract extension with the Eagles.

Just before the extension, Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie described Hurts’ “incredible passion for being phenomenal,” at the NFL Annual Meeting in March 2023. “You see that in the great ones. We all know in other sports and with certain quarterbacks in this league, you can define them by their obsession with detail and work ethic.”

The Eagles quarterback, fresh off a trip to the Super Bowl and a record-breaking contract extension, received his master’s over the weekend

Jalen Hurts. PHOTO: TIM NWACHUKWU/GETTY IMAGES

Earning a master’s degree? Just add it to the list of things Jalen Hurts has accomplished already this year.

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, who’s fresh off leading his team to the Super Bowl in February and signing a historic contract extension last month, returned to the University of Oklahoma to receive his master’s degree over the weekend — another milestone for the impressive 24 year old.

“I Know Momma Proud Of This One..,” Hurts wrote in an Instagram post announcing he had received his master’s degree in human relations.

“You different. Congratulations,” former Alabama teammate Dallas Warmack replied on Instagram.

Hurts was the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide from 2016 until 2018, when he transferred to Oklahoma to become the starting quarterback for the Sooners in his senior year. At Oklahoma, Hurts led the team to a Big 12 Championship and finished second behind Joe Burrow for the Heisman Trophy award.

Hurts’ alma mater congratulated him on his graduation with a tweet on Friday, calling him a “Sooner for life,” and sharing an image of the NFL star standing behind the podium during the Class of 2023’s graduation ceremony.

The university’s dean of students, Dr. David Sarratt, also shared a video of Hurts smiling as the audience cheered him walking across the stage to receive his degree. “Congratulations!” the dean wrote.

Jalen Hurts. JALEN HURTS/INSTAGRAM

On Instagram, Hurts’ agent Nicole Lynn shared her congratulations, calling Hurts the “hardest worker I know!”

Lynn helped Hurts lock in a historic five-year, $255 million contract extension with the Eagles last month. The deal made Hurts the highest paid player in the NFL.

Jalen Hurts. SCOTT TAETSCH/GETTY IMAGES

“The thing with Jalen that I’m so optimistic about is he’s just got this incredible — I’m not telling you anything you don’t know here, but seeing him virtually every day, he’s got an incredible passion for being phenomenal,” Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie said in March at the NFL Annual Meeting. “You see that in the great ones. We all know in other sports and with certain quarterbacks in this league, you can define them by their obsession with detail and work ethic.”

Jalen Hurts. KEVIN SABITUS/GETTY IMAGES

Lurie added Hurts is “the most mature 24-year-old I’ve ever come across.”

So much so that the teammate Trevon Diggs is already envisioning what’s next for the star quarterback: “Definitely can see him running for President,” he tweeted.