I saw the images on X on Sunday evening just like everyone else.

Saquon Barkley exiting the Marine One helicopter Sunday in New Jersey behind controversial President Donald Trump. Barkley and Trump sitting at a table covered by MAGA hats of varied hues, Trump’s cotton candy comb-over covered by one done in trademark red.

I then found out Barkley golfed with Trump on Sunday in advance of the Eagles’ scheduled team visit to the White House on Monday to commemorate their Super Bowl LIX win.

I sighed. I rolled my eyes.

I scrolled on, knowing, inevitably, that Barkley’s choice to implicitly endorse and validate the person and presidency of a convicted felon whose overt associations with, and endorsements of, racism, especially racism directed at Black people, could result in months, if not years, of Barkley being cast as the latest Kanye West or Mike Tyson or Antonio Brown, shameless, or perhaps clueless, Trump surrogates used by him and his minions as props to justify unconscionable policies and practices.

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Hopefully, Barkley can withstand this firestorm.

His first gambit fell flat. He refused to acknowledge the political ramifications of his actions. He equated golfing with former President Barack Obama with visiting Trump. He ignored the attack the Trump administration has waged on Black history since the inauguration.

Barkley told folks to leave him alone.

That’s not going to happen.

I also sighed because I knew it soon would fall to me to comment.

Here’s my comment:

So what.

Barkley is a 28-year-old millionaire who has spent his entire adolescence and adulthood in a football bubble that largely insulated him from the realities other young Black men face. Anyone taking political cues from Barkley should probably check themselves.

If you feel any sympathy for what he is going through now and might endure in the future, know that Barkley is a grown man making grown man choices.

True, he seems to be more aware of his world than most athletes. He even gave off Malcolm Jenkins vibes — ironic, since Jenkins, a former Eagles champion and an ardent champion of Black rights, never would casually commingle with Trump, or his ilk.

Me? As a younger man, Barkley certainly did not seem the sort to act as a Trumpian sycophant; during the protests in 2020, he tweeted in support of the anti-racism protests directed at Trump, which Trump despised.

I disagree with Barkley’s choice to kibitz with a person I consider to be the worst American of my lifetime. If he were my son, I would advise him against it. He’s not my son. So, really, it’s none of my business.

But my actual business, this sportswriting and social commentary, requires reaction, especially in the Age of Kaepernick, sponsored by Twitter, fueled by outrages real, imagined, and feigned.

While Barkley has a maturity about him, he might not understand the gravity of his actions. I’m not sure that, before I turned 30, I did, either.

Would I have visited either of the George Bushes’ White Houses?

Probably not.

Would anyone have cared?

Probably not.

I certainly don’t care that Barkley is rubbing elbows with Trump.

I care even less that Jalen Hurts and several of his teammates decided to avoid the 47th (and 45th) president. This is not an original gambit. After the Eagles won Super Bowl LII, so many of the team’s players and personnel planned to boycott the visit that Trump canceled the event in embarrassment and spite.

This time, Hurts and the others are citing “scheduling conflicts.” That’s not quite the courageous stance one would hope they might take, but true courage in the face of Trump seems a rare commodity these days.

To me, attending or refusing attendance is a form of free speech, and should be respected as such. Besides, it’s not a particularly resounding form of free speech.

How many folks remember Tim Thomas, the Boston Bruins goalie and a staunch Libertarian, snubbing Obama in 2012? Or the Golden State Warriors threatening to snub Trump in 2017 (he uninvited them, too). Or Michael Jordan dissing George H.W. Bush after the Chicago Bulls’ first title in 1991, some say at the urging of the Rev. Jesse Jackson?

In fact, it would be astonishing if Hurts did attend. He champions women’s rights, public schooling, and many marginalized communities — you know, the opposite of Trump, and Trumpers.

Barkley and Hurts might share a demographic, but they are not the same person, and we should not expect them to be. Barkley is hardly the only Trump supporter, or accepter, in the Eagles locker room, and he isn’t the only Black guy who wants to court Trump.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts skipped the White House but Saquon Barkley golfed with Donald Trump. Here’s how people reacted.

The biggest difference between Barkley and Hurts is that Hurts seems to be more aware, invested, and logical about his causes and his image.

But really, who among us is taking their political cues from Hurts, a 26-year-old millionaire who has lived in a bubble identical to Barkley’s?

What will the lasting result be?

Will a few people be less likely to buy a Barkley jersey? Probably. That’s because it’s somewhat surprising that, regardless of his politics, Barkley has allowed this circus to commence, and a lot of people will feel disappointed that Barkley will allow his otherwise pristine persona to be stained by associating with a criminal. By comparison, Eagles fans are generally pretty progressive. It’s not like Barkley plays in Kansas City.

On the other hand, given the feverish nature of the MAGA cult, Barkley might actually see his jersey sales boom, selling merchandise to folks who certainly wouldn’t let him date their daughter.

Will anybody be less likely to buy a Hurts jersey? Of course not. Hurts is acting entirely in line with his character and image.

The online, screen-time nation will fixate on this issue for a few hours, or a few days, and move on. Frankly, the only folks to whom this should matter are people like me, who are paid to comment, and clout-seekers on social media, many of whom get paid to post.

Sigh.