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Sports fans in Philadelphia have a reputation for being a particularly inhospitable breed, and one man who spent a season playing for the Eagles before deciding to take his talents to another team says the treatment he was subjected to by a crowd that was supposed to be cheering for him was a major reason he left.
Steven Nelson kicked off his NFL career as a cornerback with the Kansas City Chiefs and spent a couple of seasons in Pittsburgh before heading to the other side of the state after inking a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the start of the 2021 campaign.
He started every single game that year and was a pretty solid contributor alongside Darius Slay in the secondary, but he ultimately decided to head down south to play for the Texans after his one and only season in Philly came to an end.
Nelson got a solid pay bump after signing with Houston as a free agent, so while it wouldn’t have been a stretch to assume that was the driving force behind his decision, he recently admitted the treatment he received from Eagles fans was a significant motivating factor while chatting with Slay on a recent episode of The Corner Suite podcast.
It’s worth noting Nelson didn’t say Eagles fans were the only reason he decided to leave; he stated he’s a fan of the outdoors and wasn’t a huge fan of the lifestyle that came with playing in a city like Philadelphia.
However, he made it very clear he got tired of being constantly booed and harassed by people who were theoretically on his side, saying:
“Philly is the only place I played at where you can hear them talking; “Trade him! What is #3 doing? Get him the f— out of here? Why is #3 on the team?
Have you ever seen a home crowd boo you?… I learned quick. I said, ‘Oh yeah, I got to get out of here. It’s not good for my mental health. I’m stressed out’…
It got to a point where, like, I’m playing against the fans. I ain’t even focused. I have a third down stop, I’m talking s— to the fans! I’m coming out talking, not even to the opposing team!
I went home one day and said ‘Bro, this is not healthy. I gotta get outta here.’”
It’s kind of hard to blame Nelson for doing what he thought was best after realizing Philadelphia just wasn’t for him, and I’m sure Eagles fans will totally respect that decision and definitely not mock him for being soft and weak.