Eagles’ Darius Slay apologizes for derogatory remarks about Brazil on eve of season opener

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo on Friday, the first-ever regular season NFL game in South America.

However, it wasn’t long before legitimate safety concerns surrounding the trip tipped into the realm of xenophobia.

On Tuesday night, Eagles cornerback Darius Slay apologized via social media for making derogatory comments about Brazil on his podcast, Great Play Slaughter.

“I want to apologize to anyone I offended, that was not my intention. I look forward to playing in your beautiful country and I hear (you) are just as passionate as our amazing Eagles (fans),” Slay wrote. “Only a few more days, I can’t wait!!!!”

That statement marks a radical departure from what Slay said on Friday.

“Man, I don’t want to go to Brazil,” he said. “They already told us we can’t leave the hotel… NFL, why do you want to send us somewhere where the crime is so high?”

The idea that Philadelphia players were instructed not to leave their hotel is disputed by Eagles assistant general manager Jon Ferrari, according to Jeff Neiburg of The Philadelphia Inquirer.