Earlier this offseason, former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy accused Chip Kelly of racial bias, stating that he got rid of “the good black players.”

The head coach was asked about those comments today and simply doesnt agree with McCoy's comments.

"I have great respect for LeSean; however, in that situation, I think he's wrong," Kelly stated.  "We put a lot of time in looking at the characters and factors that go into selection and retention of players and color has never been one of them."

(Listen to ESPN.com NFL Nation Eagles reporter Phil Sheridan with Mke Gill on the Sports Bash)

While the comments from McCoy are serious allegations, Kelly said he wasn't hurt by them nor was it something he had to address in the locker room with the current players.

So who do we believe, McCoy or Kelly?

What is McCoy's motivation?

Kelly tried to clear the air and talk to McCoy - to no avail.

"I reached out to him twice and he didn't accept my call," Kelly explained. "Then I talked to his agent and told him I'd love to talk to him at some point in time, but I haven't had a chance to touch base with him."

There's no question that the lingering effects of the Riley Cooper incident play a factor in the perception of Kelly among the african-American players on the roster - McCoy is not the only person who has made these claims.

"You start chasing perception and you got a long life ahead of you, son," Kelly said. "That's what it's all about.  If you're worried about someone else's perception of what is going on with you, then - you can control one thing.  You can control yourself.  I know how we run this organization, and it's not run that way."

Kelly tackled the questions head on and when asked what the perception of him was in the locker room and if he was worried about that, he was open and honest in his response.

"Talk to the players.  That's a great question to talk to the players about. We talk to everybody.  There's not just a core group.  I think it's a real open conversation in terms of talking to all the players here."

The Cooper incident will always be something that Kelly will be judged on, the way he handled it, but in this instance it looks more and more like McCoy has some sour grapes on the way to Buffalo - who can blame him.

 

 

 

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