At least one member of the Philadelphia Eagles is fearful of his team’s upcoming game against the Green Bay Packers, which will be played in Brazil.
The two franchises will be the first to participate in a competition in South America.
But not everyone is looking forward to the trip. On a recent episode of his podcast ‘Big Play Slay,’ Eagles cornerback Darius Slay made it clear that he would rather not travel to Sao Paulo for the game.
“I don’t want to go to Brazil. You want to know why? I’ll tell you why,” Slay told PHL Eagles Nation.
‘We were already told not to leave the hotel. We were told there was not much we could do because the crime rate is crazy.
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay is not happy about the idea of playing in Brazil
Slay has even told his family not to make the trip out of fear for his personal safety.
“I say, ‘NFL, why would you want to send us to a place with such a high crime rate?'”
Slay added that he feels so uncomfortable with the situation that he is telling his family not to bother making the trip.
“I told my family not to come there because nobody was going to show up,” Slay said.
Slay says he plans to spend the entire trip in his hotel, a sentiment similar to that of wide receiver AJ Brown.
In an interview in August, the Eagles receiver also indicated that he would be getting used to his hotel during the trip.
“We had a meeting yesterday with a lot of things not to do,” Brown said. “I’m just trying to go there, win a football game and come back here. (…)
He continued: “We are not there to see the city, it is not a holiday, it is a football match. (…) It is as simple as walking down the street with the phone in your hand… it is crazy.”
“After hearing all that, I’ll probably be in my room,” he added.
Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown has said he plans to spend a lot of time in his room during the trip.
Meanwhile, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni says he is focused on winning the football game.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni says he understands his players’ concerns, but he doesn’t see the situation the same way.
“We’re going to play and win a football match. That’s our goal. That’s our only goal when we go there,” Sirianni said on Sunday.
“And so it’s about everyone having the right mindset about what they need to have when they go out on the field. You can control the things that you can control. For example, we’re going to Brazil to play. That’s what it is. We’re excited about that.”
It’s not just Philadelphia players who are concerned. In June, Packers running back Josh Jacobs expressed concern about what player safety would be like in Brazil, but later apologized.
For those Eagles players who are worried, fortunately they won’t be spending much time in Sao Paulo.
The Eagles’ flight is scheduled to land in the city around 10:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
The team will fly back home immediately after the match, meaning the team will be in Brazil for just over 48 hours.
