During the offseason, Deebo Samuel expressed his thoughts following the San Francisco 49ers' playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The star receiver asserted that the better team didn't emerge victorious. After all, in that NFC Championship Game, the 49ers' starting and backup quarterbacks sustained injuries, contributing to the 31-7 defeat.
In a conversation with I AM ATHLETE, Samuel commended Eagles cornerback Darius Slay but refrained from praising James Bradberry, whom he labeled "trash."
This week, when asked if he regrets any of his offseason comments, including those about Bradberry, Samuel stood firm, stating, "I don't regret nothing I said."
On Wednesday, Bradberry spoke with Philadelphia reporters and had an opportunity to respond to Samuel's comment.
After laughing at the question, Bradberry paused before saying, "I just focus one day at a time. Of course, I don't necessarily like what he said. I wish you to use a better word to describe my play, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, all I can do is control my work ethic and what I do [to prepare]."
When asked about the possible motivation behind Samuel's comment, Bradberry responded, "You have to ask him."
The cornerback acknowledges that the 49ers present a significant challenge for the Eagles. While it's an NFC Championship Game rematch, both teams are motivated by their championship aspirations, not the outcome of last season's meeting.
"Last year's last year," Bradberry said. "I think the extra motivation comes from it being ... a conference opponent. They're a great team, so it's going to be a big challenge for us."
More must-reads: