As the Jonathan Martin situation sparks a broader debate regarding the treatment of NFL players by other NFL players, former Eagles offensive lineman Shawn Andrews has opened up about his experiences in Philadelphia.
In a lengthy and at times rambling interview with Mike Missanelli of 97.5 The Fanatic in Philly, Andrews said that he was “disgusted” by the way quarterback Donovan McNabb treated Andrews.
“People think that it’s just a band of brothers,” Andrews said. “These are my co-workers, and I understood that really early on. That you can’t trust everybody.”
Andrews said he didn’t think he was bullied by McNabb. Instead, Andrews believes that McNabb repeatedly talked about Andrews behind his back.
“If you put your heart, everything that comes with you, on the line for another person and they’re saying some very, very, very untrue things about you to other guys in our same league on other teams, how would that make you feel?” Andrews said. “You’re putting your heart on the line, man. You could break your neck, there’s so many things that you could do.”
Andrews said he eventually confronted McNabb, and that McNabb denied it.
“I’m disgusted by it,” Andrews said. “You know, like [Jonathan] Martin? I feel the connection there because when he said he tried to befriend the people who talked about him, I know what he’s going through.”
Beyond McNabb, it’s clear that Andrews wasn’t happy with how he was treated while on the team.
“When the camera is rolling oh it’s, ‘We’re a team, we’re a team’ but when the cameras go off it’s like, ‘Screw you, dude. Screw you,’” Andrews said. “I’ve had to work with guys that didn’t have everybody’s best interests at heart. The only guy I’ll tell you that I could trust on that team was flat out Brian Dawkins.”
Again, Andrews said he wasn’t bullied by McNabb or anyone else. But it’s obvious that he didn’t believe that an atmosphere of family existed among his teammates. And it’s also obvious that Andrews has some strong negative feelings about Donovan McNabb.