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Earlier today, an audio clip of former Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs (among others) running back LeSean McCoy went viral.
During the SiriusXM program “I Am Athlete Tonight” — which works in affiliation with the “I Am Athlete” podcast that McCoy sometimes hosts alongside ex-NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall — the two-time All-Pro took an unprovoked shot at KC offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
In case you missed it, here’s the tweet containing the sound bite.
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Reid Responds: ‘Sometimes It’s Hard on a Veteran Player’
McCoy voiced: “The reason why I ain’t finished is because me and [Bieniemy] had our differences about different things. I’m [going to] say this — there’s a reason why every year they hype him up to get a coaching job, head coach or offensive coordinator or whatever else, and he don’t get one.”
Continuing: “Listen, because some players, he talks to them a certain way and some players will take it. I wouldn’t take it. Some questions I would ask, everybody is accountable. That’s why [he has not been hired]. It’s not because he is a black coach. That’s not the reason — the reason is — I won’t get into that… There is a reason why every year they hype him up to get a job and then when the time comes, nobody hires him because they know what type of coach he really is.”
During a press conference on May 26, Reid was asked about McCoy’s strong opinion of Bieniemy’s coaching ability. The HC responded pretty candidly:
Sometimes it’s hard on a veteran player. Maybe their performance level isn’t what it used to be — and it’s hard to take [criticism] sometimes. [Bieniemy’s] going to push you to try to maximize what you’ve got. That’s one of his strengths. He’s no different than he is with you guys. He’ll come in and shoot you straight. Sometimes you want to hear it. Sometimes you don’t.
Boom.
It’s no secret that Bieniemy’s coaching history has been cited as one of the prime examples in complaints against the NFL for unfair hiring practices of minority coaching candidates. Brian Flores even named the Chiefs coordinator in his class-action lawsuit.
For McCoy to come out publicly and refute that was pretty shocking, but it’s far less surprising that Reid is standing behind his colleague as he’s done in the past. Bieniemy himself has never accused anyone of unfair hiring practices and it’s hard to say for sure why he has not received a head coaching opportunity.
There could be more to it, as McCoy suggests, but Reid’s explanation seems plausible too. Age forced the former superstar ball carrier to suffer a fall from grace, and not everyone can handle that sort of transition from “the guy” to an extra guy.
“You’ve been here,” Reid concluded. “You’ve seen how he [Bieniemy] does. You see the love that the players have for him. He’s got all these guys standing up for him and saying positive things.”
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Reid Offers Olive Branch
Big Red may have told it like it is, but that didn’t stop him from keeping it classy with one of his best and brightest playmakers in Philadelphia.
“I’m a big LeSean fan,” stated Reid. “In my eyes, he’s a future Hall-of-Fame running back.”
McCoy’s list of accomplishments definitely supports this. He has over 11,000 yards rushing and 15,000 scrimmage yards on the dot, not to mention six Pro Bowls and two All-Pros. The 12-year vet even added two Super Bowl rings during his final two campaigns.
“If you look at it statistically, he’s tremendous,” noted Reid. “But he wasn’t the youngest pup in the kennel here [with the Chiefs]. He was on the backside — and sometimes that’s hard to take.”
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