Brandon Graham apologizes for comments about Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown on WIP
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham apologized for comments he made about Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown during an appearance on his radio show on SportsRadio 94WIP on Monday night.
Hours after he made comments about Hurts and Brown's relationship following Sunday's comments about the passing game, Graham clarified his comments with ESPN's Tim McManus, saying he wasn't trying to be divisive.
"I made a mistake and I assumed that it was something that it wasn't," Graham told McManus. "I just want to win so bad that I don't just want to use the media when we need to talk about something and we can fix the problem ourselves. I didn't add to it in a good light so that's my bad."
In a clip posted on X by WIP, Graham said:
"The person that's complaining needs to be accountable and I'm just being honest. And he knows this. I don't know the whole story but I know that 1 (Hurts) is trying. And I mean, 11 (Brown) could be a little better with how he responds to things, and they was friends before this, but things have changed and I understand that because life happens. But, it's the business side that we have to make sure that we don't let the personal get in the way of the business. And that's what we gotta do better right now. Because we know it's an issue, everyone has seen some things. But we need to be able to talk things out as men but we need to let personal stuff go and let's get right for this game, because man, it's like a lot of the stuff most of the time is just a conversation that needs to be had. But the person with the problem gotta want to talk to the person other than others."
Graham's comments come one day after Hurts and Philadelphia's passing offense struggled in a win over the Carolina Panthers, and A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith each voiced their frustration about the situation. Brown was seen on the TV broadcast slamming his helmet in his frustration. He finished the game with four catches for 43 yards.
When asked by reporters about what the offense could improve on, Brown responded by saying "Passing."
Hurts finished the 22-16 win over the Panthers with 108 passing yards, which is his lowest total of the season, and Brown didn't have a target until late in the second quarter.
The Eagles are winning games and on a nine-game winning streak with an 11-2 record, but the team has been winning with a run-heavy approach on offense with Saquon Barkley leading the way. Meanwhile, the passing game has struggled.
Philadelphia's passing offense ranks second-worst in the NFL and only ahead of the New England Patriots. Over the course of the nine-game winning streak, Hurts has 23 touchdowns compared to two giveaways. But at the same time, he hasn't been able to get on the same page with Brown and Smith.
It's worth noting Brown and Smith have each missed multiple games this season due to injuries, and it's the first year with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore calling plays, but this is the third season Hurts, Brown and Smith have played with each other in the NFL.
This also isn't the first time tension between Brown and Hurts has gained notable attention. Last season, the TV broadcast caught Brown and Hurts having a heated exchange on the sideline against the Minnesota Vikings, but Brown said that was "taken out of context."
Brown also declined to speak with the media for two straight weeks last season as the team had one of the worst collapses in franchise story after starting out 10-1.
The Eagles will look to extend their winning winning streak on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but before then, Brown and Hurts will get the opportunity to respond to Graham's comments.
