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Donovan McNabb: Bully?

A former Eagles player is speaking out about alleged bullying in the Eagles locker room, led by former Syracuse star Donovan McNabb.

By Sean Keeley
Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Bullypocalpyse? Bullypalooza? BullyGate?

I don't know what gimmicky name we want to give the current climate in the NFL but one thing is for sure…if you've got a story about being bullied, now's the time to come out with it.

Former Philadelphia Eagles offensive guard Shawn Andrews spoke with Sync Weekly to talk about his not-so-great experiences as part of the team. Interestingly, the instigator of those experiences was apparently former Syracuse Orange quarterback Donovan McNabb.

In light of the recent bullying case in the Miami Dolphins locker room involving second-year lineman Jonathan Martin and veteran teammate Richie Incognito, Andrews has spoken out about a rocky relationship with McNabb. During a recent radio interview on Philadelphia radio, Andrews says he was "disgusted" by how McNabb treated him.

..."I could be sitting in the players’ lounge with a group, having some laughs, and he’d get his say in so the attention can shift," Andrews says. "He was the type of person that had everything in the world he could want, but that still wasn’t enough. He wanted the attention on him. There was a whole lot of that behavior. He wasn’t just that way with me. I’m thinking, ‘Every day I strap on my shoulder pads and helmet, I’m here to protect you.’

"[McNabb] was a big part of it — he was a big part of my issues there. Bully is a strong word, but he was degrading to me and spread rumors. It’s bothered me that I haven’t really spoken about it."

McNabb's legacy is a fascinating one already, even without these allegations. I've always thought Drew Magary said it best when he summed Donny up as a guy who everyone seemingly adored as a young player and seemingly thinks is a disingenuous idiot now. Even as Syracuse fans will always remember him fondly, there's a sentiment by and large that McNabb's late-career bitchfest-mode harmed his reputation irreparably.

Now comes this, and, well, I'm torn. On one hand, it ultimately won't surprise me if it's true, based on a lot of the shenanigans McNabb pulled later in his career. On the other hand, as far as I can tell, no other player has corroborated Andrews's side of the story yet, which leaves open the possibility he's just bitter and wants to lash out at the guy he perceived as his enemy. So…leave the door open on this one for now.

Still, for a guy like McNabb, whose overall legacy is very much uneven, this kind of story can't help.

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