A lot has been made about an article by Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Jeff McLane that took a deeper look at Jalen Hurts and his subsequent leadership skills. It included several quotes from the starting quarterback’s teammates, including punt returner Britain Covey.
The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, who penned the piece, labeled Covey as someone who might be the polar opposite of the Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback in temperament but highlighted his quarterback’s ability to interact with most if not all of his teammates, which includes him eating lunch in the cafeteria with practice squad players.
While that was a neat anecdote, there’s a particular quote a couple of paragraphs down from Covey that stood out to readers.
“I’ve played for coaches before that claim to have an open-door policy, and their door is always open, but they’re really intimidating,” Covey said. “And I think Jalen is similar to that in that he has an open-door policy, but because of his personality at times, if [you’re a new player and] haven’t been around enough, it can be a little intimidating.
After McLane’s report, The National Football Show with Dan Sileo, a daily sports talk show available on YouTube, did a segment on the story where host Dan Sileo and former Eagles offensive lineman Barrett Brooks misinterpreted the quotes attributed to Covey.
“Covey said, well, I’ve always had the time to go in and talk to any coach,” said Brooks. “An open-door policy. But I didn’t because I was scared to death to go in there. He equated that to the same thing as Jalen Hurts. I believe I can go talk to him, but I never did because I was scared to death.”
That’s an inaccurate paraphrasing of Covey’s quote and seems to put words in his mouth. While it’s unsurprising that his comments have gained attention in Philadelphia sports media, improper context seemed to draw incorrect conclusions about what Covey meant.
Covey responded to Sileo and Brooks on social media, clarifying that he never viewed Jalen as unapproachable and
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