To be honest, I had to no idea what to expect when I heard I’d be covering Chip Kelly.
He’s an interesting subject, no doubt. He also seemed willing to humiliate anything and everything in his path that distracted him from coaching football.
While I was watching from afar while covering the Browns in Cleveland, his wars with the Philadelphia media came off as out of touch with reality. He was arrogant and unwilling to cooperate with reporters. Everything about him said tense and unlikable.
Nine months into his 49ers tenure, the time has come to squash those egomaniac storylines. Kelly the communicator has been a breath of fresh air. Ask intelligent questions, receive intelligent answers. Ask him about something other than the 49ers, no need to fear being publicly shamed.
There’s no better example of Kelly’s 180 degree turn than how he’s handled the Colin Kaepernick situation.
Pressed by a veteran columnist to explain why he’s okay with Kaepernick making the locker room his pulpit, Kelly came off as the reasonable one Thursday. Quotes don’t do the interaction justice. Watch the video here.
The Kelly of old would’ve scoffed and told the reporter to stick to football. He’ll handle internal matters, and that would be that.
The new Kelly? He’s not even dancing around eggshells; he’s offering unflinching support to Kaepernick. He’s calling police brutality heinous. He’s being human.
This isn’t about political stances, either. You are allowed to disagree with how the 49ers are handling Kaepernick and how he (and now many others) take a knee during the Star-Spangled Banner. As Kelly told the columnist, “it’s what makes our country great.”
Who would’ve guessed that Kaepernick’s activism, and the aftermath, would reveal a major change in Kelly’s emotional intelligence. A player on his football team has received death threats for kneeling during the national anthem, and Kelly’s support is unwavering. Players are noticing.
“That’s my coach!” Torrey Smith tweeted Thursday after the video went viral.
I question those calling the 49ers locker room divided. Over the course of the last month, it’s quite the opposite, actually.
Kelly has set the organizational tone on Kaepernick by being inclusive. Instead of calling all the shots, he’s empowered a 49ers players council to advise him on such decisions. When offensive lineman Anthony Davis wanted to un-retire and walk right back on the team, Kelly consulted his council. When Kaepernick started kneeling, a 45-minute players-only-meeting was suggested to hash things out. It worked.
A divided locker room is RGIII and Mike Shanahan not making eye contact when they walk past each other in the hallway. A divided locker room is when powerful leaders take opposite stances and draw lines in the sand.
A united locker room is people agreeing to disagree on the symbolism of the flag, and look at the bigger issues at hand, like Terence Crutcher and Charlotte. A united locker room is what you’ll find down in Santa Clara.
A month ago, Kaepernick stuck himself out a ledge. Kelly was right there to catch him. So were teammates, even those that don’t support his kneeling. This isn’t running an NFL offense, this is complex subjects studied in sociology.
When national news outlets invaded the locker room and reporters surrounded Kaepernick, who had played just three snaps against the Rams, it was a strange sight for the NFL. Instead of treating the extra attention as a distraction, the 49ers’ locker room has become one of the hubs for conversations about America. Football matters, but real life, where innocent people are dying, matters more.
Strange sights in NFL locker rooms don’t necessarily mean the sky is falling. Our world is changing. Some really won’t believe it, but Kaepernick is trying to change our world for the better.
The way Kelly has handled Kaepernick was the last thing many expected. And it’s been one of the greatest accomplishments so far in his NFL career.