Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay became the latest player to criticize the NFL for scheduling a game in Brazil.
NFL officials initially denied there are security threats for the season-opening game between the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.
Slay though, posted a video prior to the team’s departure clearly worried about what they might encounter on their trip below the equator.
“I do not want to go to Brazil. You want to know why? I’m going to tell you why,” Slay said.
“They already told us not to leave the hotel. They told us we can’t do too much going on, because the crime rate is crazy. I’m like ‘NFL, why would you want to send us somewhere with a crime rate this high?”
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NFL Players Worried About Playing In Brazil
Slay isn’t the first player in this game to voice concerns about the NFL scheduling a game in Brazil.
Earlier this summer, Packers running back Josh Jacobs made headlines when he made similar claims about being advised by the league not to leave their hotel rooms.
Jacobs spoke of the game, scheduled for September 6th at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, on the “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast.
“They said that the part of Brazil we going to you can’t even wear green man. They said, I guess something to do with gangs and stuff,” he said, prompting the hosts to swiftly declare that they weren’t going. Jacobs’ worries were downplayed with the explanation that green is merely the rival team’s colors in São Paulo.
“Man, it’s like one of them places where they probably won’t even let us leave (the hotel).”
Slay, in his own video post added, “I told my family do not come down there.”
NEWS: #Eagles Darius Slay does NOT WANT TO GO TO BRAZIL
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 2, 2024
“They already told us not to leave the hotel. Can’t do too much because of crime”
‘NFL..? WHY SEND US TO A PLACE WITH A HIGH CRIME RATE?”
“I told my family do not come down there”
(🎥 @SleeperNFL) pic.twitter.com/J1wkmOCQd8
RELATED: NFL Clarifies Report That Packers, Eagles Not Allowed to Wear Green In Brazil Due to Gangs
Conflicting Reports On What The NFL Said
The NFL initially responded to Jacobs’ claims by saying “neither of these items are true” – wearing the green and leaving the hotel.
“Multiple league officials from across the league have made multiple planning trips. As with any international game, we have comprehensive security plans in place coordinated with local officials,” a league spokesman said.
“Again, there was no guidance provided to the clubs as suggested here.”
Turns out, that’s only somewhat true.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports that the league did, in fact, advise players not to leave their hotel rooms. They also provided them with an extensive list of what not to do when in crime-addled Brazil.
“NFL Security met with both teams, and the Eagles and Green Bay Packers players are being advised strongly—if not flat-out told—to … stay at their hotels, outside of the trips they’ll make to Arena Corinthians, where the game is Friday,” Breer conveyed.
“The teams also had a list of do’s and don’ts spelled out for them when they are outside the hotels,” he added. “One was to not walk outside with their phones out of their pockets. Another was to not respond to any weird messages on their phones.”
Reports indicate that São Paulo sees a robbery reported every five minutes and a theft every two and a half minutes based on statistics from 2023.
The city’s historical center has also fallen into crime-ridden decay, according to some sources.
Why would the league put its own players needlessly at risk to promote their product in Brazil?
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