In an interview aired Sunday on ESPN, LeSean McCoy denied he called Eagles head coach Chip Kelly a racist for trading him and some other black players.

McCoy in better times ...

Sort of.

To backtrack McCoy implied race was a factor after he was shipped to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso.

McCoy told ESPN The Magazine there was a reason Kelly "got rid of all the black players - the good ones - like that."

McCoy tried to back away from those strong comments Sunday in an interview with Hannah Storm.


“Well that’s how I felt," McCoy said. "And everybody was so quick to say I called him a racist. I never called him a racist. And I have no issue with Chip. I have no hatred towards him."

Kelly said he reached out to McCoy on multiple occasions to discuss the matter but was rebuffed.

McCoy wasn't real clear when asked again by Storm if race was a factor in the trade.
 

"Uh, I wouldn’t say that," McCoy said. "I think that I wasn’t the player (Kelly) wanted. So no matter if I was black or whatever it is, at the end of the day I’m going to have my own thoughts about it and other people can have their own thoughts. After that comment got all the angry thoughts out I was happy."

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Dion Lewis didn't want to talk about the fire alarm he and his brother set off, resulting in their arrests. Charges later were dropped against Lewis, who Monday wanted his statement to stand and to move on.

And that's what he's doing.

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, in his strongest comments to date, stated after practice Monday that Lewis had all but locked up the backup running back job behind LeSean McCoy.

Big Marty also blamed himself for not using Lewis more in 2011, when McCoy rushed for 17 touchdowns and caught three scoring passes to earn a berth in the Pro Bowl.

"Always wanted to go into a game using him just a little bit more," Mornhinweg said of Lewis. "Then you get into a game and every game is important, and LeSean was so good last year, it was hard to take LeSean out. And it will still be hard to take LeSean out. But certainly we would like to play the other fellows just a little bit more.

"And Dion has earned that role up to date. He's got a little hard work left."

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LeSean McCoy on his Twitter handle weighs in on his 5-year $45 million contract extension.

"@CutonDime25: Thank u lord for everything because nothing would b possible without u... To the whole eagles management THANK YOU !!!!"

Jeremy Maclin on cover of program.

The Eagles deactivated LeSean McCoy, Asante Samuel, Cedric Thornton, Julian Vandervelde, Ron Johnson, Greg Lloyd and Mike Patterson.

Cooler heads obviously prevailed with McCoy, nursing an ankle injury. An Eagles spokesman said the ankle was the issue.

To subject a less than 100 percent McCoy to serious injury could have been the final straw for Andy Reid.

Thankfully someone conveyed that to  Reid.


Patterson was scratched due to illness. He's nursing flu symptoms per the Eagles. 

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