Patrick Causey, on Twitter @PhillySportsJD
Former Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy deserves a lot of credit. He was one of the greatest running backs in franchise history and gave this city a lot of great memories. I was a huge fan when he was on our team. He was must see t.v. At any moment, you knew he could do something truly special.
But since being traded, McCoy's true colors have started to show. The "Chip Kelly is a racist" comments have been met with almost universal skepticism, and rightfully so. McCoy met with the media today, and was (rather predictably) asked about his comments.
Apparently, McCoy was not a fan:
LeSean McCoy: "I have nothing more to say about it. … I'm done talking about it."
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) June 3, 2015
LeSean McCoy confronts reporter who asks follow up about Chip Kelly comments. "Did you hear what I said?"
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) June 3, 2015
LeSean McCoy: "y'all listening to me?" Threatens to end interview if Kelly questions continue.
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) June 3, 2015
LeSean McCoy: "I never regret nothing I say."
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) June 3, 2015
It's always hard to tell about the type of character a player has. Access to players is tightly controlled by teams. And most teams have inhouse publicists and p.r. staffs dedicated towards training players on how to properly give canned/boilerplate answers so as to avoid media sensationalism.
But the more I hear from McCoy, the more I realize why Kelly was so eager to offload him.
It was bad enough to imply that your former coach was a racist. In today's society, those types of accusations can have serious and damaging consequences. But then to refuse to answer follow up questions on his own remarks?
I could understand if McCoy wanted to avoid the issue so he did not create another media storm which would distract his new team.
But if that truly was his intent, he went about it in a terribly wrong way. He basically attacked the media, taunting them with a sort of bully-like mentality as though they were out of line for asking the question.
And then to follow up that stonewalling by defiantly stating you have no regrets implying your coach was a racist? McCoy just doesn't seem to get it.
I will miss McCoy's considerable talents on the field. He was a truly special player to watch and I enjoyed having him on my team. But the more I hear from him off the field, the happier I am that he no longer represents my beloved Eagles on it.