‘Grateful’ Chip Kelly Releases Statement

A little over 24 hours after the Eagles announced they were letting go of Chip Kelly, the team’s former head coach released a statement regarding his three years with the team.

Here’s the full text of the statement, via Albert Breer.

I’m grateful to Jeffrey Lurie for allowing me to coach his Philadelphia Eagles for the past three seasons. I deeply regret that we did not bring this great city and its fans the championship they deserve. I was blessed to work with a gifted and hard-working coaching staff every day, and they will succeed wherever they go. Finally, my players mean the world to me. I will miss them very much and I will be rooting for them to achieve their dreams. Life is all about responding to challenges and seizing opportunities.

Earlier today, Lurie touched on what exactly went wrong during Kelly’s tenure, particularly his third season, when Kelly was given power over personnel.

“I think it would be a shame not to try, but the end result was mediocrity. As the owner of the team, I’ve got to look at the progress and the trajectory of where it’s headed. And it’s disappointing to me, but that is the danger when you take a risk.”