Even though Eagles coach Andy Reid has publicly distanced himself from (and reportedly isn’t happy with) Saturday’s politicking by agent Bob LaMonte, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that, within the organization, LaMonte’s comments are regarded as Reid’s comments.
“I don’t get into any of that,” Reid said Sunday regarding the Saturday back-and-forth between LaMonte and owner Jeffrey Lurie, via Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. “I’m a one-day-at-a-time kind of guy, one year, one play, the whole deal. So that’s not how I operate. I don’t worry about all that.”
It’s believed that LaMonte’s claim of a verbal commitment by Lurie to keep Reid as coach for as long as Lurie is the owner were aimed at pressuring Lurie into extending Reid’s contract, which currently is due to expire after the 2013 season.
“Listen, we’re here to play, that’s what we’re here to do,” Reid said. “And I’m here to coach, that’s my job, and I understand the demands of the National Football League. I got it. I know the picture. So I’m not worried about all that.”
But by using terms like “any of that” and “all that,” Reid necessarily is acknowledging the existence of “that"; namely, a business side of the pro football industry that Reid specifically has hired LaMonte to handle.
So what else is Reid going to say? “Yeah, I believe I have a contract for life?” Reid has taken the savvy path, even though it’s not the first time LaMonte has tried to pressure the Eagles with no specific consequence from the man for whom LaMonte works.
Indeed, if Reid were going to completely disavow LaMonte’s words, Reid would have been more direct. Or Reid would have ordered LaMonte to retract his comments. Or Reid would have fired LaMonte.
All things considered, it should be regarded as shocking that LaMonte backed Lurie so far into a corner that Lurie had to issue a statement refuting LaMonte’s contention. And it’s expected that Reid will do nothing to LaMonte. It’s also expected that Reid will continue to recruit clients for LaMonte, who represents former Eagles assistant coaches like Steve Spagnuolo, Brad Childress, and Pat Shurmur, most current Eagles assistant coaches, and even G.M. Howie Roseman.
As a result, the Eagles will continue to believe that, when it comes to “any of that” and/or “all that,” Reid believes what LaMonte said about every last bit of that.