Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was described as selfish, uncompromising and egotistical by unnamed players and others “close to the team” in an article from PhillyVoice.com that was swiftly met with on the record defense by other members of the team.
Wentz has now directly addressed the report as well. Wentz pushed back at specific claims, including that he “bullied” offensive coordinator Mike Groh and that he is not a “team guy.”
“I know who I am, first of all. I know how I carry myself. I know I’m not perfect. I know I have flaws,” Wentz said, via Philly.com. “So I’m not going to sit here and say it was inaccurate and completely made up. I’m not going to do that. ... I realize I have my shortcomings. Yes, I can be selfish. I think we all have selfishness inside of us. There’s human elements to that, that I really look at and say, ‘Well, I can get better.’”
Wentz said he was “emotionally kind of all over the place” as he dealt with frustrations associated with returning from a torn ACL and said that may have left him short of being the best teammate, but his personality isn’t going to change as he works to on being better.
“Anytime you’re a Type-A guy, there’s a fine line being pushy and shove-y and humble and humility and walking that line,” Wentz said. “Definitely learning to navigate that always and never trying to look down on anybody or make it seem like I’m better than anybody. But at the same time, as a Type-A, so-to-speak, confident person that’s confident in off-the-field things and then on the field with what we like, that’s not going to change.”
The Eagles have made it clear that Wentz is their No. 1 quarterback and Nick Foles is expected to move on as a result of that decision. That will put Wentz’s ability to be better across the board under a bright spotlight in 2019.