Eagles' Jason Kelce Says 'Lack Of Accountability' To Blame For Sixers, Ben Simmons Drama
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Jason Kelce understands Philadelphia fans and what it takes to make it as an athlete in the City of Brotherly Love. One of the main ways to make it in this city? Holding yourself accountable -- something Ben Simmons doesn't seem to understand.
Kelce says a lack of accountability is the reason for the broken relationship between Simmons and the Sixers.
"What's going on, and I don't want to crush any other player. What's going on with the 76ers and Ben Simmons. All that is because of a lack of accountability. A lack of owning up to mistakes and lack of correcting things. If all that got corrected, you're fixing three throws, you're getting better as a player, none of this is happening. So everybody can [explicit] and complain about how tough this city is to play in, just play better man. This city will love you," Kelce said.
While the city is important, Kelce says as long as you're accountable your team and coaches will love you.
Some absolutely incredible stuff from Eagles center Jason Kelce today on how to make it in Philadelphia. Plus his take on the Ben Simmons/Sixers situation.
— Pat Gallen (@PatGallenCBS3) October 21, 2021
Some of the best quotes from today.@CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/aotpBATEJi
He says athletes need to be aware of when they are doing their job well and when they are not. It's no secret Philadelphia fans and the media will let athletes know when they are doing well or not.
There is a high standard and expectation this city has for its sports teams and productivity is important.
"Fans will point out when the productivity is not there, when the wins aren't there. When the stats aren't there. Or when they see just flat-out gross errors and you as a player have to understand is that my fault? What's going on here? And be accountable to that. But, the biggest issue is even if you're accountable, you have to understand that it's all correctable and fixable. You have to realize that this is a blip in time and that over the course of my career I write the narrative. I'm the one who decides what this is," Kelce said.
Kelce adds that if he just goes out there and ball, the only option will be to "love me and appreciate me as a player."