Talk of racial bias clearly bothers Chip Kelly
The odd thing about racial issues is that they are rarely black and white, and the gray areas can cause huge and incendiary differences of opinion.
The odd thing about racial issues is that they are rarely black and white, and the gray areas can cause huge and incendiary differences of opinion.
For proof, we offer the latest racially charged controversy involving Chip Kelly.
The Eagles coach said Thursday that he was not hurt by the accusations made against him by his former running back LeSean McCoy earlier this month during an interview with ESPN The Magazine.
His actions, however, said otherwise.
"I reached out to him twice and he didn't accept my call, and then I talked to his agent [Drew Rosenhaus] and told him I'd love to talk to him at some point in time, but I haven't had a chance to," Kelly said before the Eagles completed their first week of organized team activities.
It was the first time that Kelly responded to charges from McCoy that the coach wanted "full control" and that he felt it could be better achieved by getting rid of "all the good black players."
Predictably, Kelly strongly disagreed with McCoy's opinion.
"We put a lot of time in looking at the character and factors that go into selection and retention of players, and color has never been one of them," Kelly said. "It doesn't hurt me. I'm not governed by the fear of what other people say. Events don't elicit feelings. I think beliefs elicit feelings and I understand what my beliefs are and I know who I am."
If Kelly was unhurt or did not care, he would not have made three separate attempts to contact McCoy. He should care and he should be hurt. McCoy's accusations were unfair and unfounded even if they are not unshared. If the running back is going to make racially charged comments, he at least owes it to Kelly to take the man's phone call.
Remarkably, this is the third time in his short tenure as the Eagles coach that Kelly has had to deal with a racial issue. The first time was during his initial training camp, when a video was released with Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper screaming a racial slur at a Lincoln Financial Field security guard during a Kenny Chesney concert.
After a brief absence from the team, Cooper rejoined the Eagles and never had to pay much of a penalty beyond the embarrassment he caused himself. Saying he was sorry was enough for Kelly and, at least publicly, for his teammates. It's fair to wonder, however, if ill feelings lingered from that episode and if they were rekindled in McCoy when he was traded this offseason after DeSean Jackson was released in the previous one.
Kelly is definitely wrong about the impact of events on feelings. In fact, center Jason Kelce said he believed McCoy's comments were born out of frustration.
"I think that obviously LeSean might be speaking a little bit out of emotion right there," Kelce said as he recovered from the two-hour practice session in the searing heat. "I respect LeSean McCoy . . . but comments like that really don't warrant response. I think in a few years he might come to regret those statements because that's not a professional way to handle things."
The remarks that should concern Kelly most came from Tra Thomas, the Eagles' longtime left tackle who served two seasons as an assistant coach but was not retained for the 2015 season. During an interview with Fox29 in March, Thomas said he has seen and heard "a hint of racism" concern about Kelly from the Eagles' African American players.
Thomas also mentioned the racial makeup of the coaching staff, noting that Duce Staley is the only black assistant in charge of a player group. Staley is the running backs coach. Kelly said during the owners meetings in March that he was disappointed by Thomas' remarks.
Again, he should be disappointed, but he also should be concerned because smoke and fire remain close relatives. It would not hurt for the coach to have individual meetings with his team leaders and let them know that all he cares about is winning with the players he believes are the best for his system regardless of race.
"I don't see it," Kelly said when asked about a racial perception problem in his locker room. "Talk to the players. That's a great question for the players. Go talk to the players about it."
At least one African American player stood firmly behind his head coach after the first week of OTAs was complete.
"On what [McCoy] said, I really wouldn't argue for or against what he said," safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "That's his opinion and he definitely has a right to voice his opinion. I can only speak to my experience, and what I've seen over the last year I've been here has been nothing but fairness to me."
Jenkins does admit that Kelly wants things done his way.
"What coach doesn't?" he said. "He has a system and a culture which he is trying to build."
That definitely makes Kelly a coach, but not a racist.
@brookob