Is It Really Too Much To Ask For A Player To Not Go On A Rival Opponent's Podcast Immediately After A Humiliating Loss?
Cooper Neill. Getty Images.Anybody who thinks that Philly is a hard town to play in just doesn't get it. If you know how to handle yourself, it's actually one of the easiest cities in America to play in. Because we are addicted to becoming obsessed with mediocrity. We love an underdog, because we see ourselves in an underdog. Which means we don't need an athlete to be the best player in the world in order to fall in love with them. All we need to see is that they care, that they try, and that they take this game as seriously as the fans do. If you lose along the way, then so be it. But we'll always love and support athletes in this city who make it apparent that this is serious to them.
Darius Slay simply does not get it.
I get that it's a different world today where every athlete has their own podcast. And for the most part, I think that's a good thing. I think it's great that these athletes get a chance to put their voice out there and have the ability to 1) show their personality off the field to the fans and 2) get a chance to speak for themselves instead of the media being able to control the way everyone views them. I understand all of that and I get it. If Darius Slay were to be a guest on Micah Parson's podcast before the season started, I'd have no issue with that whatsoever.
Maybe don't go on his podcast immediately after the Eagles got their dicks kicked in by the Bucs. Maybe don't go on his podcast after having one of the worst starts to the season in the league. Week after week, Darius Slay is getting COOKED out there. But that's understandable. He's getting older, he's getting slower, he's a guy who had a great career but father time catches up to everybody. If he just showed up to work every day with an attitude of trying to do whatever it is that he can to help this team win, then Philly fans would be able to look past the horrendous play on the field.
But that's not how Darius Slay works. He's supposedly a captain of this team, but he's constantly focused on himself. So much so that immediately after the game on Sunday, he's tweeting out his career stats.
The 2024 Philadelphia Eagles have been fucking terrible this year. Darius Slay has been fucking terrible this year. Nobody cares about what you've done in your career right now, the only thing that matters is what this team is going to do to fix it right now. But instead of being focused on that, Darius Slay just wants everybody to remember he had a good career and then chop it up with a division rival on a podcast the following day.
Legitimate question--is it too much to ask that he just cuts the shit and doesn't do that? I genuinely don't know. On one hand, I absolutely despise everything about the way Darius Slay conducts himself and I think he's everything that is wrong with athletes today. But on the other hand, maybe that's just the way athletes are today and we're the ones who are wrong for caring about these games so much more than the guys who actually play them. I don't know. I've been racking my mind around it for the past day and still don't have a definitive answer. I'd love to just truly not give a shit about Darius Slay anymore. But until he's no longer on the Eagles, I don't have that luxury.