BROWN SAYS HE'LL REPORT FRIDAY; EAGLES SIGN NINE UNDRAFTED ROOKIES
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
BROWN SAYS HE'LL REPORT FRIDAY; EAGLES SIGN NINE UNDRAFTED ROOKIES
Bob Brookover
Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown still isn't happy about his contract situation and he has no regrets about going public with his trade request a week ago today.That doesn't mean he's about to boycott the team's mandatory post-draft camp at the NovaCare Complex that opens Friday.
"Yeah, I'll be there," Brown said before boarding a plane in South Carolina this afternoon.
The Eagles' veteran cornerback said he has no intention of being a disruptive force in the locker room.
"I didn't become a villain all of a sudden," he said. "I'm a professional. I've been in contact with Troy (Vincent)."
At the end of Vincent's eight-year run as a starting cornerback with the Eagles, he was unhappy about his contract situation, but he never protested by missing practice time during the offseason or training camp. Some players in the past -- Duce Staley, Bobby Taylor and Lito Sheppard -- have attended the team's mandatory post-draft camp, then skipped voluntary workouts later in the spring.
After this weekend's mandatory camp, the voluntary full-squad workouts are scheduled from June 2-5 and 8-11.
Brown was asked about a comment he made last week on 610 WIP radio in which he said, "They don't want me in that locker room."
"You can take that in another light," he said. "I'm the leader on the football team and it's bad for players to see me in a situation where I'm not happy. But I'm not going to blow up the NovaCare Complex. I'm not going to be one of the guys who puts on show week in and week out when the media comes to my locker."
Brown said he's also not worried about having to compete for a starting job with Ellis Hobbs, who the Eagles acquired for two fifth-round draft picks yesterday.
"I've always competed for my job," he said. "That doesn't matter to me. I have respect for Ellis. He's a guy who has played through injuries like me. He tore up his groin and didn't miss any time. He's a hard worker and he's trying to establish himself."
Eagles coach Andy Reid said Sunday he didn't feel the need to explain the acquisition of Hobbs to Brown.
"Well I am not going to go through and call every player here," Reid said. "I can't do that. He knows he is on the team, so I don't feel it's necessary to do that."
Brown, who has four years left on a six-year contract extension he signed in 2004, said he didn't need a call from Reid.
"Coach knows me," he said. "That doesn't need to be done. You don't have to do that kind of stuff."
I guess we're going to see if Sheldon can back peddle as fast as he can run on the field. The Eagles have shown him that he is either going to shut up and play, or be "Lito'd" and sit on the bench all season. Hobbs will step right into his spot if he doesn't like it. My guess is that he'll be more of an upstanding citizen.— MVKrum
Comment removed.- get this guy a box of tissues. It should be the hard workers of this country that get to complain about what they make and the families they have to feed. Sheldon stinks anyway— gulls3012
- Comment removed.
- Thank you Sheldon. At least you are manning up to your contract. Most people just sit it out, cause distraction, and tear teams apart, and become the lead story every game thats aired. Sounds like this wont be the case with this guy. We got too much going for us after this draft to be down on anything withn the Eagles right now. We are soaring high !!!!! Whoooooo— birdistheword79
- I smell something... yup its B.S! Damage control from Sheldon and nothing more.— jkidd49
- Baby! Nobody forced you to sign a long term deal. Go to another team who will just cut you after 1 year... I love Dawkins but he will play one year in Denver, which he could have done here for a little less. Or take the risk like buckhalter who is now 3rd on the depth chart in Denver... Enjoy babies, ENJOY— fman727
Sheldon is closer in ablity to Roynell Young that Troy Vincent. He's overpaid IMHO. What has he done since he flattened Bush in that playoff game? He can't cover one-on-one anymore. He needs to step up his play and honor his contract.— RAS- paraphrasing some of the lines he told Eskin: You do not want me in that locker room. More than adamant about wanting to be traded. and he said he might show up to the mini-camps just to stir things up. That is a far cry from the quotes above.— gobirds556
- This certainly does read like a backpeddle to me. Looks like the Hobbs arrival sent precisely the message they intended to send. Now if he can play nickel back as well as they thought, it would be a really great move.— owumd
- Asa man I have to say Sheldon does great things in the community especially down here in SC, but as a player, I don't get where he thinks he deserves it, I understand being upset about the contract that was given to Samuel, but he is no Samuel...— crohnkiller
- Comment removed.
- If the man wants to be traded then trade him. Stop hatin on the man. He is entitled to go and get some of that additional salary cap money if he can.— eglassiter
- gulls3012 I'm sure you work just as hard at your job to deserve the sympathy and in your workplace you're the equivalent of an olympic athlete who is known to millions in this nation who will pay to watch you do your job. kudos.— yantastic
- I am sick and tired of these professional athletes complaining about contracts. If you are a "professional" then honor the contract you signed and if you don't like it then don't sign it in the first place. I wish I could do that everytime I was unhappy in my job. Sheldon, Brown and all the rest of these athletes should zip it. he isn't complaining about the signing bonus he got and offering to give that back. is he.— Chookie
