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Eagles players defend Carson Wentz after report says he's 'selfish,' 'egotistical'

Liz Roscher
Staff writer

Philadelphia Eagles players are vehemently defending quarterback Carson Wentz after a report was published Monday that placed the blame for the team’s locker room issues squarely on Wentz.

The report came from Joe Santoliquito at PhillyVoice, and it cites numerous anonymous sources from the Eagles locker room and the NFL that paint Wentz as a problem — a diva quarterback with a tendency to overcomplicate and play favorites on the field. Here’s a key section from the PhillyVoice article:

But while the sentiment in the Eagles’ locker room is that Foles is “universally loved,” Wentz isn’t.

His aw-shucks, overgrown-Opie-from-Mayberry routine plays well with the local and national media. Indeed, sources describe Wentz as “incredibly hard working,” “determined,” and “highly intelligent.” But the true Wentz is more nuanced and complicated, with sources describing him as “selfish,” “uncompromising,” “egotistical,” one who plays “favorites” and doesn’t like to be “questioned,” one who needs to “practice what he preaches” and fails “to take accountability.”

Numerous sources confirmed Wentz was once verbally attacked by a highly respected teammate for not being “a team guy.”

Ouch. That’s pretty rough. There isn’t any context given for the words used to describe Wentz, or about the reported verbal attack from a “highly respected teammate.” And while this isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Wentz needs more time and experience to mature, these anonymous reports from Santoliquito take that to a whole different level.

But some of Wentz’s teammates aren’t having it. After the report surfaced on Monday morning, several Eagles players tweeted in support of their quarterback. Fletcher Cox posted his first, challenging anyone who disagreed to hit him up on Twitter.

And Brandon Brooks responded with one of the world’s greatest GIFs.

Zach Ertz, one of Wentz’s favorite receivers, also had a response.

Lane Johnson called the whole report “fake news.”

Former Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith found the perfect use for the poop emoji in his response.

Nate Sudfeld spends a lot of time around Wentz as the third-string quarterback, and decided to tweet his thoughts on the report as well.

Even with these full-throated defenses, it’s hard to know whether the sentiments expressed in Santoliquito’s article are widely held. Regardless, it’s not going to quiet the Carson Wentz vs. Nick Foles debate, even though the Eagles have said that Wentz is their quarterback going forward.

Carson Wentz’s teammates are rushing to his defense after a report featured Eagles sources calling him “selfish” and “egotistical.” (Getty Images)
Carson Wentz’s teammates are rushing to his defense after a report featured Eagles sources calling him “selfish” and “egotistical.” (Getty Images)

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