Philadelphia Eagles corner Darius Slay opened up about his treatment under Matt Patricia when both were with the Detroit Lions organization.
Slay was with Patricia for two seasons in Detroit and immediately felt disrespected. Patricia was part of the Lions organization from 2018-2020. He was hired before the 2018 season, and the results were poor. He went 13-29 during his time with the Lions and was fired after Week 12 of 2020.
Slay has gone on to have a fantastic career, appearing in five Pro Bowls so far. He just finished up a stellar regular season for the Eagles, recording 55 tackles and three interceptions. He is now a key piece of an Eagles defensive unit looking to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl.
Despite his recent success, he still has not forgotten how Patricia treated him back in the Detroit days. Slay worked out with Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib, and Patricia wasn’t impressed.
“He…basically just said, ‘You are not in that category yet.’ By that time, I only had one Pro Bowl, but now I’m at five. So I want to know how he feels about that now,” Slay said, via WXYZ Detroit’s Brad Galli. “…I don’t wish no bad on no man, but as a man, me and him just don’t get along. But his coaching, as a coach, he’s a smart coach. He knows his X’s and O’s. He knows how to coach a guy up. But it’s just the being a man. The disrespect is not what I’m with.”
Darius Slay didn't hold back at the Super Bowl, reflecting on Matt Patricia trading him away from the Lions.
"I only had one Pro Bowl, but now I'm at five. So I want to know how he feels about that now," @bigplay24slay said.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) February 8, 2023
Patricia’s future in New England is still uncertain.
Nevertheless, it’s clear how his past players felt about his style. It will be intriguing to see what his next chapter is in his coaching career after a difficult 2022 season with the Patriots.
