Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel let off some steam Wednesday about the way he feels team management is constantly trying to trade him. Though he came out of a meeting with head coach Andy Reid later in the day with a less hostile tone, Samuel's initial comments published on Philly.com were without subtlety.
When asked if he felt wanted by the Eagles, he replied:
"By Andy. A couple people upstairs might not want me, but who cares. They probably never played football," Samuel said. "It's a business, they run it like a business, so they're going to do what they need to do. So they're upstairs playing with a lot of money, playing a little fantasy football, so they're doing their thing."
Reid then called a meeting with Samuel and released a statement affirming Samuel's importance to the squad.
"I am aware of how Asante felt and we have since talked. We both left with a positive feeling going forward," Reid said. "As I have said previously, when we acquired Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha, we had received numerous calls on the availability of our cornerbacks. After discussing significant trade offers with other teams, we decided to keep all three cornerbacks on our team. Asante is a valuable member of our team and we appreciate all that he brings to this organization. As far as my relationship with (general manager) Howie (Roseman) and (team president) Joe (Banner), I have a great deal of respect for both of them and I know we are all on the same page."
For his part, Samuel seemed to have calmed down a bit after meeting with his coach. In a statement, he reiterated his commitment to helping his team beat the Cowboys this weekend.
"Me and coach talked and obviously I let my emotions get the best of me," Samuel said. "Everything is good, I'm happy to be here, and everything is settled. He explained to me how the business works and I'm that much more educated on how the business works in the NFL and everything is good. Let's get a win on Sunday."