Chip Kelly finally broke his silence on LeSean McCoy during the third day of Eagles OTAs, and he made it clear that he’s not a racist.
Kelly was responding to McCoy’s claims that he gets rid of all the good black players on the team.
“You see how fast he got rid of all the good players,” McCoy told ESPN The Magazine. “Especially all the good black players. He got rid of them the fastest.”
Kelly finally addressed McCoy to the media.
“I’ve got great respect for LeSean, however in that situation I think he’s wrong,” Kelly said. “We put a lot of time in looking at the characters and factors that go into the selection and retention of players, and color has never been one of them.”
Were you hurt by it?
“No.”
Is it something you have to address in the locker room?
“No, I haven’t.”
Have you talked to LeSean since the trade?
“No, I reached out to him twice and he didn’t accept my call,” Kelly said. “And then I talked to his agent and told him I’d love to talk to him at some point in time, but I haven’t had a chance to touch base with him.”
Did the comments hurt you?“It doesn’t hurt me,” Kelly said. “I’m not governed by the fear of what other people say. Events don’t illicit feelings, I think beliefs illicit feelings. And I understand what my beliefs are and I know who I am.
“You start chasing perception and you got a long life ahead of you son. That’s what it’s all about it. You can control one thing and you can control yourself and I know how we run this organization and it’s not run that way.”
Aren’t you worried about the perception in the locker room?“Talk to the players,” said Kelly, “That’s a great question to talk to the players about.”
I think the situation has always been about the type of players Kelly wants on his roster. He may not want loud, or Hollywood type players, but the idea that he doesn’t want black guys on his team is ludicrous.
He replaced McCoy with two black running backs that fit his offensive style and locker room temperament. He replaced DeSean Jackson with Jordan Matthews.
Another black player.
Chip Kelly just wants the guys he wants.