Darius Slay addresses harsh criticism from Eagles fans

Darius Slay addresses harsh criticism from Eagles fans originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

In the days since the Eagles' 33-16 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday, Darius Slay has felt the heat from Eagles fans.

He initially reacted after the game by sending a now-deleted tweet with a list of his professional achievements – not a good impression. He then went on Cowboys star Micah Parsons' podcast and talked about one of his teammates.

It's been a busy few days.

On his Big Play Slay podcast on Tuesday, the Eagles veteran addressed all the drama surrounding him.

First, Slay addressed his appearance on Parsons' podcast in general terms.

“I feel like a lot of Eagles fans are very, very upset with me on the podcast with Micah Parsons. To be honest, I knew Micah long before he became a Dallas Cowboy. We trained together when he came out as a young man. We have built a great relationship. When we played the Dallas Cowboys here or at home, we both used each other's tickets. His family sits next to my family, my family sits next to his family at his games. We have a great relationship. But I understand the conflict like the Eagles and the Cowboys. It's real beef. It's real, real beef. And I'm not really a controversial guy. I'm kind of cool with everyone. I know you don't like this, I know you won't like this because this isn't the Philly style. But I was raised to treat people the way I want to be treated. So I just treat people with respect.”

While some Eagles fans might have been upset if Slay had simply been on the Parsons podcast, there were many who were more upset about the content of the episode. In particular, one clip shows Slay and Parsons laughing at Eagles safety CJ Gardner-Johnson. While Slay said many laudatory things about CJGJ, the laughter in this clip bothered people.

You can check it out for yourself:

“Chauncey is my guy,” Slay said. “He’s a great player, everything’s great. I don't know why people just took away the first 10 seconds of me just smiling and giggling. If he had taken it personally, I would have told him, “Hey, I apologize if I smiled and laughed and you were offended in some way.” As a man, I would have apologized to him. But from my point of view, I'm actually just the laughing type. I smile all day long. It's not too much that I take seriously because I'm a blessed young man doing a job that I enjoy doing and having fun. I definitely take my job seriously, I like to win. I like competing at a very high level. But I enjoy playing this game with a smile on my face. Because I could be doing something completely different in the world, but I'm actually out here doing something that I love doing. I smile at work. That's it.

“And I also told Chauncy that if he felt like it, he could have hit me or something like that, which is what he had to do. We talked about it. And like I said, I would have apologized to him man to man, but from my perspective I just said, “Chauncey is a guy with energy, he's going to brag, he's going to talk anything.” Trash for you, he will and do that. And he will bring energy to the team. That's what he's here for.' He’s the energetic guy.”

Slay, 33, said the reason he laughed was because he and Gardner-Johnson laughed about it together because they knew that if they didn't perform they would be “screwed” by fans and media.

This is the second time Slay and Gardner-Johnson have been teammates. They were on the Super Bowl team together in 2022. After one year in Detroit, Gardner-Johnson signed a three-year deal to return to Philly this offseason.

“If you felt like I betrayed a teammate, that would never be the case,” Slay said. “I'm not one of those people who betrays a teammate because I wouldn't laugh at appeasing something that me and him can't laugh about. I would never laugh at something Chauncey can't laugh at. Because we've laughed about this situation before. You all know what Chauncey is like. He's a great player and likes to walk his talk – and that's what he does. Because of his personality, he attracts a lot of media attention. He's just active and that's what he does. I’m the guy who’s just quiet and interacts with the fans in a different way than he does.”

Slay didn't attempt to defend his now-deleted post about his professional achievements. Although everything he said was true, it certainly didn't look good.

“One thing I will take responsibility for is releasing my stats in this way,” Slay said. “I shouldn't have done that. But you're going to get under my skin a little. I won't lie. You got under my skin for the first time. That was pretty big for me, man. Because I put a lot of work into it, man. I work on my work, I practice my work, I try to be the best role model and leader I can be. And being tackled all the time, well, not all the time, but that game I'm like, “Gahh, buddy.” I had a great ball, a great catch against me and y'all just tackled the guy and I got a little caught up in my feelings.

“So I apologize, Eagles fans. From the bottom of my heart, this will not happen again. I take responsibility for my wrongs. That was wrong of me. That was a bit selfish because I've never been like that before. That wasn't it. That's not my character. But yeah, you all got under my skin. I admit it. You all got under my skin.”

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni called Slay one of the Eagles' best teammates on the 94WIP Morning Show on Tuesday, but also addressed the tweet.

“I think we can all have moments where we say, 'Hey, you just lost a game, you're taking criticism and you're upset about it,'” Sirianni said. “That’s why it’s so important to hide it. You ignore the criticism. You also have to ignore the praise. Last week there was praise. You just have to block it out because all that matters is that we get better and “We love our fans, we love everything they bring to this team, but sometimes you just have to switch off and just work. But like I said, there's no better teammate on this team had a phenomenal career, but again, we've got to do what we've got to do to make sure we have a clear mindset so we're performing at a high level and not be affected by outside noise.”

After these two incidents, some Eagles fans questioned Slay's abilities as one of the seven captains on the team. This year marks Slay's third time as captain.

“I saw the comments,” Slay said. “It stands out, I see it all day long. Yes, I have disabled my comments on Twitter. I've done a lot of stuff, man, because it's like, 'Hey, we're human.' You can all reach out to us too.'

“So I just have to ignore some of these things until people say, 'Get pissed off about this, Slay.' I lead in a different way. I'm not as big of a singing guy as (Jalen) Hurts. You see Hurts all the time, you all say he has a serious face and stuff. I am the joyful side of the team or leadership. I'm the guy who will put a smile on your face. If you seem like you've had a bad day, I'm the one who will try to cheer you up and make your day better. I bring the different type of energy the team needs.”

Slay's younger teammates have often spoken about his leadership abilities. Although Slay isn't a traditional leader, it's his teammates who have voted him captain for the past three years.

Slay is in his 12th NFL season and his fifth with the Eagles, who acquired him in a trade in 2020. Slay was not a Pro Bowler in his first season with the Eagles, but was named to the Pro Bowl team each of the last three seasons. His contract runs until the 2025 season.

“For true Eagles fans: I love you,” Slay said. “I appreciate you very much, especially those who support me. And I've been here for five years and I give my ear, my soul, my energy to this team, so I really appreciate all the fans out there. Even those who don't like me, I still appreciate it. Because when I make plays, you'll be cheering for your boy. So plays are being made and I’m looking forward to the celebration that’s coming soon.”

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