Eagles head coach Chip Kelly addressed the issue of hazing in the NFL head on on Thursday
The fallout from the Miami Dolphins hazing scandal involving offensive linemen Richi Incognito and Jonathan Martin has dominated the sports world the past several weeks.
Martin of course is the Dolphins offensive tackle who succumbed to the alleged bullying at the hands of Incognito and teammates to the point of leaving the team facility and checking himself into a hospital. For better or worse Martin has become the face of what can go wrong inside the world of locker room culture.
Kelly addressed the issue as it relates to his team and it doesn't seem likely that such a story will emanate out of the Novacare Complex anytime soon.
"I think with all of our guys, they're all members of the same team and everyone should be treated the same way." Kelly told reporters Thursday at the Novacare Complex. "We're all on the same side, it's us against the other 32 teams in this league and the quicker you can get those guys indoctrinated into that mentality that you are with the Philadelphia Eagles now, that's how we've always addressed it.
"I think some of our younger offensive lineman make sure that there's enough water stocked in the offensive line meetings," Kelly pointed out. "But beyond that we don't have a rookie show, we don't do any of those things."
Given the grind that is an NFL season, Kelly is wise to get his players all on the same page as quickly as possible, in spite of the time honored tradition of hazing younger players -albeit to a much lesser extent than what's been reported out of Miami.
“I had my Jordans thrown in the cold tub,” Cary Williams joked Wednesday about his experience as a rookie with the Tennessee Titans. “I only found one of those shoes. I’m still looking for the other one.”
Safety Earl Wolff said earlier this week that he has bought candy for meetings and LeSean McCoy admitted to having to buy chicken for road trips, but it doesn't appear that the Eagles culture set forth by Kelly or his predecessor Andy Reid would have allowed much hazing beyond that.
"We addressed it when we brought the rookies in here, everybody's the same," Kelly reiterated. "Whether you're a ten-year guy or a rookie that's part of the deal. Part of the deal is: What was it like when you were a rookie? It's hard.There's still a learning curve. It's almost like being a freshman in college or high school again. Think about what it was like when you were younger and it's a difficult enough transition as it is."
Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.
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