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Sour grapes, much? Now residing comfortably with the Buffalo Bills, former Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy is still taking errant shots at head coach Chip Kelly. Kelly traded McCoy to Buffalo for stud linebacker Kiko Alonso before the draft as part of his roster overhaul, and McCoy seems to believe that Kelly’s motivations were racial in nature.
During an interview with ESPN, McCoy said the following:
“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.”
I really don’t want to believe McCoy could be that stupid. I really don’t want to believe that McCoy could still be so bitter at being traded that he would stoop to this level. While McCoy is making these ridiculous claims, everything Kelly has done in the meantime contradicts his statements. Free agents DeMarco Murray, Walter Thurmond and Byron Maxwell are black. Ryan Mathews’ father is black. Every 2015 draft pick minus Brian Mihalik are black players. Frank Gore backed out on his own volition. Jeremy Maclin was offered a huge contract and left only because he got more money elsewhere. The commonality is that those players fit Kelly’s culture — McCoy clearly did not.
Race is not a factor to Kelly. What McCoy doesn’t seem to realize is that he doesn’t walk on water. He’s a very good player, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not a player who is indispensable. There are a multitude of reasons why good players are moved in this league, and when you have a culture-first mentality like Kelly, that’s going to be an important trait his players are judged on.
It was a shocking move at the time, but the more McCoy lashes out in bitterness against Kelly, the more I understand why he’s out. Clearly he’s still angry about being traded and is willing to hit below the belt to make that known. It’s petty and disappointing, especially when you spend years cheering for and defending the guy. I hope this is just McCoy being bitter and not his true feelings.
I also hope the Eagles’ defense shuts him down Dec. 13.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.
