LeSean McCoy calls out former Eagles HC Chip Kelly, accuses him of being ‘uncomfortable’ around Black players

The Chip Kelly era in Philadelphia was forgettable for fans of the team. In the three seasons in which he headed the Eagles, the team went 26-21. He is not remembered as fondly in the city of Brotherly love, given that he was the successor to Andy Reid, who is revered to this day as the gold standard of all head coaches.

Recently, two of his players, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson, went all in on him on the 25/10 Show podcast. The duo called Chip Kelly out for treating his players differently on the basis of race.

I never had a coach who was scared, not even scared- I'll say uncomfortable around Black players. Let's not hide it, right? Most of the players are Black. The NFL is dominated by Black players. 

LeSean McCoy said

The podcast made it more clear as to why Kelly has since struggled to get a job in an NFL team.

In order to substantiate their claims, LeSean McCoy cited instances wherein Kelly made multiple restrictions to bring the overall morale of the team down. He imposed restrictions around playing music in the locker room on game days, and during practices, attempted to regulate the attire and choices of the players’ hairstyles.

Jackson and LeSean McCoy revealed Kelly’s attitude towards the player’s choice of music and how he would make comments about the tunes while making it blatantly clear that he did not want to hear music that included words that he deemed to be inappropriate. On game days, when players wanted to show up to the stadium in their favorite luxury cars, Kelly took objection to that as well.

DeSean Jackson blames Chip Kelly for costing him over $6 million in the form of endorsements

The head coach insisted that his players take the bus rather than travel in their own cars. Some other allegations included instructing players to cut their hair. McCoy’s teammate Roc Carmichael was told to get a haircut in order to look more “presentable.” The most infuriating aspect, however, was Kelly’s reluctance to personally converse with Black players on the team.

The duo claimed that it was rare to see Chip Kelly reach out to Black stars on the team and have one-on-one conversations with them. It had become habitual for him to ask his assistant coaches to handle critical conversations with them.

He never really approached me, and was never a disciplinarian. He would talk to me, and it was like he was scared of me...I respect certain coaches...with Chip Kelly, I never felt that love, because he always was scared of me. 

DeSean Jackson said

Owing to his disconnect with the players in his locker room, Kelly was never viewed as a leader or garnered the respect of the men playing for him.

Additionally, Jackson has a personal bone to pick with him as the former head coach ended up costing him money. During the 2012 season, Jackson signed a 5-year deal worth $51 million, but he was released after the second year of his contract over allegations levied against him by a news article indicating he had ties to thugs and was a gang member.

Ultimately, it cost him his spot on the roster and resulted in brands and sponsors withdrawing from affiliating with him. Kelly had not bothered to have a conversation with Jackson before taking this decision, and that to this day continues to infuriate the former wide receiver.

Kelly has since not been offered a head coaching role in the NFL and it is unlikely that he ever will, especially after this revelation from his former players. They go into much more depth with respect to Kelly and his biased behavior towards Oregon alums and other football-related issues on the field and in the locker room.

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