Innes And Bruno: Chip Kelly Race Talk Is 'Embarrassing'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Now, unfairly, this has become a thing. The discussion about Chip Kelly and potential racism sadly continues.
Stephen A. Smith started it, Tra Thomas continued it, and now people are being forced to address it.
"I'm embarrassed that this is a thing," 94WIP's Josh Innes said Tuesday on the Innes And Bruno Show, of recent comments made about Kelly. "I'm embarrassed for the Eagles, I'm embarrassed for Chip Kelly, I'm embarrassed for the city of Philadelphia because I do think---pardon the pun---this is a black eye when something like this is out there. It's a shame that this is out there. I think this is embarrassing overall."
"You can accuse anybody of anything anymore," Innes' co-host Tony Bruno agreed. "You don't have a burden of proof. What burden of proof does anybody have to throw out the race card in a situation which has nothing to do with race. What's the basis of that? You're right. That is an embarrassing discussion."
On Monday, ESPN loudmouth Stephen A. Smith ridiculously implied racism, without any evidence, when speaking about Eagles head coach---and now GM---Chip Kelly spurring this discussion. Specifically, Smith referenced Kelly releasing DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, trading LeSean McCoy, and obtaining Riley Cooper.
Later in the day and on Tuesday, Smith stood by his comments, sort of, saying he did not actually call Kelly a racist. Innes called him out.
"If you imply [racism] and then don't have the balls to own it, which is basically what Stephen A. Smith did," Innes said. "He said everything but own it, so he could cover all of his bases so he could have plausible deniability like he has today, while he's doing the spin on today's episode of his program I guess. Listen, I'm embarrassed for the city of Philadelphia and the Eagles that this is even a story and that people are even talking about it. And obviously people are having to address it because it's out there. It's a shame that this has happened. It's a joke. It's a one-hundred percent joke, that anybody thinks that Chip Kelly is a racist. Now, I don't know him, but if you're basing it on a couple of guys getting cut I think it's clearly off base. It's unfortunate that this is out there right now and I'm actually saddened by it."
Former Eagles offensive lineman Tra Thomas, echoed Smith's thoughts Tuesday on FOX 29, snowballing the conversation.
"One of the things that you're seeing right now, and these are the things that you have heard from the locker room from different players is that---they feel like there is a hint of racism," Thomas said. "I personally, when you put that tag on someone, you gotta be careful with that, but there are some of the players that kind feel like that's what it is."
For McCoy, Kelly received a 24-year-old ascending linebacker Kiko Alonso, plus about $18 million in cap space over the next two seasons. Kelly, so far, used the extra cap space reportedly, for Byron Maxwell.
In Maclin's situation, despite reported efforts to try to retain the wide receiver, Kelly could not. Maclin chose to go to Kansas City, his hometown, and take more money to play for his old coach, Andy Reid.
Cooper has a $4.8 million cap hit as a member of the Eagles. If released before June 1st, his dead cap number would be $6.2 million. The Eagles would lose $1.4 million, and another receiver, by cutting Cooper before June 1st. After June 1st, the Eagles would save just $1 million by releasing Cooper.
