A.Q. Shipley stayed busy Saturday in Arizona, completing the 4.2-mile Pat’s Run in the morning before switching to pickleball that afternoon.
The former Penn State center played in the celebrity match at the sixth annual Phoenix Children’s Hospital Pickleball Championships at Center Court Pickleball Club in Scottsdale.
Shipley teamed up with former tennis pro Jack Sock as Phoenix Children’s Hospital raised funds for the Hope Fund. The charity helps buy equipment and fund research and clinical trials for hospital patients.
“It’s an amazing event. It was a no-brainer. (Event organizer Andrew) Cheney, his daughter and my daughter are the same grade and play together on sports teams. It was a no-brainer. I’ve become tight with Jack over the years, too. He’s gotten me into pickleball. It was a lot of fun, and obviously doing it for charity is great.”
Shipley said he’s become passionate about pickleball. The sport helps him compete and stay in shape.
“I was done running when I was done playing, but I was like, ‘Well, I can’t just gain weight doing no work.’ Drew (Stanton) hit me up. He was playing a lot of pickleball. He was like, ‘You’re such an athlete that your hands are going to be really good. Just come out and play, and you’ll figure it out. I’ll teach you the game but eventually you’ll fall in love with it.’ And that I have. It’s been fun.”
Shipley wore a Penn State shirt during the event. He discussed the draft prospects of Drew Allar, the Nittany Lions’ quarterback who struggled with consistency in college.
Shipley thinks Allar can succeed in the NFL if a team commits to developing his skills.
“Pro quarterback coaches and pro offensive coordinators are so good. You can’t really look at a guy’s body of work in college, because they’re trying to win games and not cater their coaching to one guy. That’s not the way it works. At the pro level, you’re building around your quarterback.”
Shipley will join his best friend Pat McAfee for NFL Draft coverage next week in Pittsburgh.
He also shared thoughts on former teammate Kyler Murray’s move to Minnesota. Shipley believes the Vikings have the pieces to make a playoff run if Murray plays well at quarterback.
“They have an awesome offensive line. It’s awesome. I spent the offseason with Will Fries. He’s a stud. And then Brian O’Neill, had him out here the last couple years. He’s a stud. (Christian) Darrisaw is as good as they come. They’ve got all the pieces on the offensive line. And then running back. They’re loaded. They are. If Kyler can do something, he’s got all the tools around him.”
