Following last year’s NFC Championship Game, San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel made headlines when he called Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry “trash,” and he doubled down on those comments ahead of Sunday afternoon’s game. But Bradberry is taking the high road in response.
During an interview session this week, James Bradberry was asked about Deebo Samuel calling him “trash,” and he had a pretty classy reaction.
“Of course, I don’t necessarily like what he said,” Bradberry said according to Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I wish he would have used a better word to describe my play, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, all I can do is control my work ethic and what I do day to day.”
When asked why he thought Samuel would characterize his game in that way, Bradberry said simply “you would have to ask him,” before explaining that at his point in his career, he’s not really worried what people are saying about his game.
“You know what? I’ve been playing football since I was 8,” Bradberry said. “I’m 30 now, so I’ve been playing roughly 22 years of my life. I’ve had people say negative things about me in the past. When I was coming out of high school, people said I couldn’t do it. When I was in college, I was transferring, [and] people said I couldn’t play corner because I was playing safety originally. And then coming into the league, people said I couldn’t do certain things.
“I got drafted in the second round. It’s my eighth year in the league. So, really, negative comments don’t really bother me like that. I try not to let it get to me. I just try to control my work ethic and lining up on Sunday and whatever cards I have, I’m going to play them. And let the product speak for itself.”
It’s a classy reaction, and the NFL world had a lot to say about it on social media.
Deebo had one great year. He's severely overrated. He hasn't earned the status to call anyone trash. 😂😂
— NinjaTrex (@NinjaTrex22) November 30, 2023
Ahahaha
— Cisco (@Cisc0V) November 30, 2023
https://twitter.com/SteveBonez/status/1730063181089775704?s=20
James Bradberry doesn’t flinch. He’s a pros pro. https://t.co/0GhlLt6lzT
— The 4 Man Rush (@4ourmanrush) November 30, 2023
He is pretty trash when you watch the tape …
— Aaron Burr (@AaronBurr28) November 30, 2023
Bradberry and Samuel will likely be matched up plenty of times on Sunday. We’ll have to see who comes out on top.
