As the nation continues to be in the midst of tragic stories associated with racism, it is not comforting to hear that the sports we love are being affected by the same racial hate. Many groups such as Black Lives Matter have formed to fight against these racial injustices with peaceful protests and petitions. However, these same activists that hoped to see a decrease in racism now fear that it might be spreading from the streets to the arenas.
The Philadelphia Eagles announced their decision on Saturday to trade cornerback Brandon Boykin to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, and there is reason to believe this was another racist decision made by head coach Chip Kelly. Boykin was one of many top athletes that were either traded or released from the Eagles this off-season. Other notable players that got the boot were wide receiver DeSean Jackson, running back LeSean McCoy, and linebacker Trent Cole, all due to Chip Kelly's allegedly biased opinions.
Kelly is now in his third year as head coach of the Eagles. He has been accused of not relating to black players by Brandon Boykin in the past. “He can’t relate and that makes him uncomfortable. He likes total control of everything, and he don't like to be uncomfortable. Players excel when you let them naturally be who they are, and in my experience that hasn't been important to him, but you guys have heard this before me,” Boykin said in an interview.
Boykin was right about this not being the first time Kelly has been accused of racial confrontations. DeSean Jackson and Kelly have had a few confrontations in the past, including Jackson cussing out Kelly, being blatantly insubordinate and regularly throwing temper tantrums – behaviors which were all assumed to be the catalyst that caused Jackson's release from the team.
Brandon Boykin further confirmed the coach's racist attitude following his trade when he told Comcast SportsNet's Derrick Gunn that Kelly is “uncomfortable around grown men of our culture.” Boykin expounded on how Kelly lacked the ability to relate to the players: "I felt a lot of guys in that locker room feel the same way. Of course, when you're in the organization, you're not going to voice your opinion. For me, I've always been a guy of honesty. Not trying to put anybody out in any way, but if you're honest with me, I'll be honest with you, and I felt like that honesty wasn't there all the time."
Running back LeSean McCoy said that Kelly had issues with black players in an interview with ESPN Magazine in May. Although other Eagles players of varying ethnicities were also cut this off season, they have not really reached out on this topic.
When questioned about the comments made by Boykin prior to his team's first practice, Chip Kelly said he was a little confused, especially since he thought they were on good terms when Boykin left.
“I don’t know. In talking to him last night, I think he was stunned, he was disappointed. He really liked it here,” Kelly told reporters. "When he left here last night he shook my hand and gave me a hug, didn’t say anything. I like Brandon. I just don’t know. I really don’t know.” He continued: “I’ve always been a Brandon Boykin fan. I think he did an unbelievable job in the two and a half years I was with him and I wish him nothing but success."
Kelly's off-season moves are actually lined up with the direction he wants his new team to go. He prefers a straight-ahead running style, so he traded LeSean McCoy and signed DeMarco Murray to a lucrative contract. He prefers bigger cornerbacks, so he traded Brandon Boykin and signed Byron Maxwell to a lucrative contract. As much as he gives us is as much as we can take.
With other subjects of discrimination that have transpired in the NFL before, such as religion and homosexuality, race cannot become another one. The league can easily be torn down by allegations and accusations, especially if they are true. Players both past and present could start to sue the league for equal rights and any different story could easily pop up out of nowhere from each franchise, turning the off-season into a civil court dispute.
It is still not confirmed if Chip Kelly has deliberately discriminated against black players on his team. "I'm not saying he's a racist at all," Boykin told Judy Battista of NFL.com. "When you are a player you want to be able to relate to your coach outside of football. There were times he just wouldn't talk to people." All we can do is hope that these officials are unbiased in their decisions. The fight continues try to weed out the few that refuse to exemplify equality, so we can enjoy sports while we still can.
