Ben Simmons has been doing everything he can to force the Philadelphia 76ers to trade him. A lot of people believe part of the reason for that is that he can’t handle playing in a tough city like Philly, but one Eagles veteran has a hard time relating to that.
Jason Kelce, who has spent his entire decade in the NFL with the Eagles, was asked on Thursday for his thoughts on the Simmons situation. He said there is a simple solution to winning over fans in Philadelphia — play harder and play better.
“There’s a lot of people that say it’s a hard place to play. I think it’s pretty f—ing easy, to be honest with you,” Kelce said. “You just go out there and play hard. If you want to be loved in this city as a baseball player, just run to first base and they’re gonna f—ing love you. If you come up here and make a bunch of excuses and try to lie to (the fans) and act like they don’t know what they’re talking about … they’re gonna crush you.”
That attitude has made Kelce a fan favorite in Philly for many years.
Of course, Simmons could argue that the fans in Philadelphia are not the issue. The former first overall pick was obviously bothered by how he was thrown under the bus by people in the locker room following the Sixers’ playoff exit last year. His relationship with Doc Rivers also seems tarnished beyond repair.
Given the way Simmons acted in practice this week, it’s unlikely that fans in Philly would ever embrace him again. He’d have to suddenly turn into Michael Jordan, and we know that isn’t happening.
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