LET MARCUS SURF

Let the man surf. Marcus Mariota, the first-round draft pick and Heisman winner.

If you’re at all a football fan or pay any attention whatsoever to American pop culture, you’ve likely heard of Heisman winning quarterback Marcus Mariota. Recently, Mariota—who hails from Oahu and is buds with Zeke Lau—was snatched up as the No. 2 draft pick in the NFL by the Tennessee Titans. However, Mariota hasn’t officially signed with the franchise just yet. The reason? Surfing. While there are certainly a variety of clauses in a projected $21-million-over-four-year deal that requires a fine-tooth comb, one of the holdups includes a stipulation that Mariota can’t engage in certain dangerous activities (skydiving, spelunking, surfing, etc.) while under contract.

According to a report from EndZoneScore.com, Mariota views surfing as a therapeutic way to unwind from the stress that invariably accompanies being Marcus Mariota. While he’s reportedly more of a bodysurfer (slight cringe) than a surfer, the ocean—as is the case for so many other Hawaiians—remains an important aspect of his life and, as the good lord of our sport Duke Kahanamoku once said, never turn your back on the ocean.

Despite Mariota’s reservations about not being able to surf, most insiders expect the prodigy and the Titans to come to some sort of agreement before he eventually signs his contract and officially joins the team. So with any luck, you just might bump into Mariota in the lineup one day after all.