LeSean McCoy: Chip Kelly got rid of "all the good black players"
Former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy blasted Chip Kelly for his decision to get rid of "all the good black players" in a recent interview with ESPN The Magazine to discuss his trade to the Buffalo Bills this offseason.
Former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy blasted Chip Kelly for his decision to get rid of "all the good black players" in a recent interview with ESPN The Magazine to discuss his trade to the Buffalo Bills this offseason.
McCoy, who had lived his entire life in Pennsylvania, discussed his initial displeasure of being shipped off to Buffalo. He credits the people of the city, the players and new coach Rex Ryan for helping him realize the positives of the deal.
The running back described Ryan as "laid-back" and said "that there are no similarities" to his former coach, Kelly.
That's an important point considering McCoy told The Inquirer in April that he doesn't "think [Kelly] likes or respects the stars. I'm being honest. I think he likes the fact that it's 'Chip Kelly and the Eagles.' "
In this recent interview, McCoy continued to criticize Kelly and claimed race might have been a factor for the decisions:
"The relationship was never really great. I feel like I always respected him as a coach. I think that's the way he runs his team. He wants the full control. You see how fast he got rid of all the good players. Especially all the good black players. He got rid of them the fastest. That's the truth. There's a reason. ... It's hard to explain with him. But there's a reason he got rid of all the black players -- the good ones -- like that."
McCoy said that the thought is shared by other players, too: "Oh, man. People have heard it. I mean ... Stephen A. Smith has talked about it. Other players have talked about it."
Kelly and the Eagles declined comment on these statements, according to ESPN. Contacted later in the day by philly.com, an Eagles spokesman said the team would have no comment on the issue.
Here's a list of black players the Eagles added during the 2015 offseason: In free agency, the Eagles signed linebacker Brad Jones, cornerback Byron Maxwell, cornerback Walter Thurmond, running back Ryan Matthews, running back DeMarco Murray, wide receiver Miles Austin, defensive back E.J. Biggers and wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu. In the draft, the team selected wide receiver Nelson Agholor, defensive back Eric Rowe, linebacker Jordan Hicks, cornerback JaCorey Shepherd and cornerback Randall Evans.
The Eagles will host McCoy's Bills in Week 14 on Dec. 13.
Update: ESPN's Stephen A. Smith backs McCoy's statements: