ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan has no intention of putting “a muzzle” on his players. And that includes running back LeSean McCoy for questioning the motivations of his former coach, Chip Kelly.
“I’d rather just be ourselves,” Ryan said following the team’s voluntary conditioning session Wednesday. “I think the players are more comfortable doing that. I know I’m more comfortable doing that. And I think that’s the way it is. I think you’ll get a real feel for who we are.”
Ryan, however, declined to weigh in on the comments McCoy made to ESPN The Magazine regarding Kelly, the Philadelphia Eagles coach.
“You see how fast he got rid of all the good players. Especially all the good black players. He got rid of them the fastest,” McCoy was quoted as saying during a question-and-answer portion of an article published online earlier Wednesday (http://es.pn/1c5nZaY ). “But there’s a reason he got rid of all the black players — the good ones — like that.”
McCoy did not explain what he believed to be Kelly’s reasoning behind certain moves, though it was unclear whether he was asked.
McCoy only went so far as to reference reports that questioned the Eagles’ motivations for trading him and releasing star receiver DeSean Jackson a year earlier, while keeping receiver Riley Cooper.
McCoy, who led the NFL in rushing in 2013, spent six seasons in Philadelphia, including the past two under Kelly. The Eagles traded McCoy to Buffalo in March in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso, who played for Kelly at Oregon.
The Eagles then retooled their offensive backfield by signing running backs DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews in free agency.
The Bills did not make McCoy available for comment, and it’s unclear as to whether he took part in the session on Wednesday.
The Eagles declined comment.
Ryan referred questions to McCoy.
“I can’t even begin to tell you what happened there,” Ryan said. “I think you just talk to LeSean and leave it at that.”
Separately, Ryan confirmed he had dinner with former LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins on Monday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Ryan declined to reveal any details of the meeting or discuss how much interest the Bills have in signing the player. Collins was not drafted after concerns were raised over a Baton Rouge Police investigation into the shooting death of a pregnant woman the player knew.
Collins, who was projected to be a first-round draft choice, has not been named a suspect or a person of interest in any crime.
“I had dinner with the young man. I’m just going to leave it at that,” Ryan said.
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