Brandon Boykin: Chip Kelly's not racist; he's just antisocial

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First order of business at Steelers training camp for Brandon Boykin was to clarify his race-related remarks about Eagles coach Chip Kelly.

"I'm not saying he's a racist at all," Boykin told Judy Battista of NFL.com. "When you are a player you want to be able to relate to your coach outside of football. There were times he just wouldn't talk to people."

Basically, Boykin, who was traded to Pittsburgh for a conditional fifth-round pick Saturday, feels his differences with Kelly were based on a lack of communication and wishes they would have interacted more.

After learning of the trade, Boykin told CSN's Derrick Gunn via text message that Kelly is "uncomfortable around grown men of our culture."

“He can't relate and that makes him uncomfortable,” Boykin added (see story). “He likes total control of everything, and he don't like to be uncomfortable. Players excel when you let them naturally be who they are, and in my experience that hasn't been important to him, but you guys have heard this before me.”

Addressing the media for the first day of Eagles training camp on Sunday, Kelly had nothing but good things to say about Boykin, though he did admit he was bothered and surprised by the critical comments.

"Yeah it did. It really did," Kelly said (see story). "When he left here last night, he shook my hand and gave me a hug.

"I like Brandon. I just don't know. I really don't know."

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