Former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb isn't looking to become the next Richie Incognito, and said that he was shocked by the comments made by former Eagles teammate Shawn Andrews that alleged McNabb bullied him in certain ways during their time together.
According to multiple reports, Andrews alleged in radio and magazine interviews that McNabb was "degrading" to him and "spread rumors" that the linebacker was gay. He also alleged that McNabb rolled his eyes at him when Andrews told him and the team that he was receiving treatment for depression.
McNabb defended himself in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer.
"That is ridiculous. I don't know what comments you expect to get from me, but that is news to me and completely false," he told the publication. "For me to bully anybody, that sounds unbelievable."
McNabb went on:
"I don't really understand why this would come about, one, and two, how this would even be an accusation. If there's anything I can say, I was more than open to Shawn. I always tried to be open to all the guys. I'd invite them over to my house. I'd have holiday dinners or team functions, especially for the offense, every year. I'd buy all the guys gifts, if I made the Pro Bowl or not, for an appreciation. Shawn was one of the most talented offensive linemen we had. I was always happy to have him."
Andrews told Sync Weekly that the Eagles locker room was filled with cliques and that it "felt like I was in a living hell."
"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 told the publication, according to The Washington Post. "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 shocked to hear the allegations amid the Incognito and Jonathan Martin issue taking place with the Miami Dolphins, but Andrews insisted that McNabb was one of the major players that was involved in bullying during his tenure with the Eagles.
"[McNabb] was a big part of it - he was a big part of my issues there," he told Sync Weekly. "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."
While Andrews is adamant that McNabb was part of it, the quarterback who spent 11seasons of his 14-year career in Philadelphia, is shocked.
"Does this seem kind of odd that all of a sudden my name would pop up in a situation like this?" McNabb said, according to The Washington Post. "I haven't played with Shawn in years. I haven't said anything bad. It's odd to me because again, my name is a lightning rod anytime it's mentioned. If there were issues that were going on, wouldn't that have come out?"
While it remains to be seen what comes out of all of these claims, McNabb maintains that he is innocent.
"I don't believe bullying answers anything," he told the paper. "I'm really taken aback by this whole accusation."
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