Eagles’ Britain Covey wants first name on his jersey for London game — and some changes to NFL international travel

LONDON — The Eagles’ upcoming game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London is especially personal to one player.

The proof is in his name.

Britain Covey, the Eagles’ return specialist who has been a key contributor for them this season, was named after Great Britain because of his family’s roots in the country.

While Covey himself is not from the United Kingdom, his grandfather, Stephen R. Covey — who penned the best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which has sold more than 40 million copies — served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Britain, which explains why his parents, Stephen and Jeri, gave him his name.

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“I feel a great affinity for Britain,” said Covey, whose name was initially “Britton” for weeks before his parents changed the birth certificate spelling. “I proudly wear it. I have shirts that say Great Britain. My email when I was growing up was Great Britain.”

Covey hopes to take this love for his namesake country to another level. Covey said he plans on petitioning the Eagles equipment staff and the NFL to see if he can don “Britain” on the back of his jersey instead of “Covey” for the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Covey said he’s not optimistic the league will allow it. The last player to rock a last name that wasn’t legally his in the NFL came in 1970, when San Francisco 49ers running back Doug Cunningham wore his nickname “Goober” instead of his surname for one game.

Then-49ers offensive coordinator Ed Hughes said after the game, “He won’t do it again. I gave him permission for that one game, but we don’t want people to start wearing all kinds of nicknames.” The NFL later outlawed the practice.

Former Bengals receiver Chad Johnson called the league’s bluff and changed his name legally to Chad Ochocinco — a tribute to his jersey No. 85 — so that he could wear “Ochocinco” on his back in 2008, before changing his name back to Johnson in 2012.

The rules won’t stop Covey from trying though.

“I really want to put Britain on my jersey instead of Covey this week,”
Covey said. “I don’t know who to ask, and my equipment guy, he probably won’t let me, but I’ll ask.”

The last name on his jersey isn’t the only change Covey is hoping to spark. Covey, the Eagles’ NFLPA player representative, is pushing for the NFL to better accommodate players on their international trips. He loves international travel — especially in the U.K., where he said his favorite region is the Cotswolds — but he’d like the schedule around the international games to make more sense.

Case in point: The Eagles, who are flying to London on Friday — less than 36 hours before kickoff — host the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. ET one week after the London trip. Covey (and other players) would like more time to enjoy the cities they visit.

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“I think that the league could possibly do a better job with accommodation when it comes to international games,” said Covey. “I think players would be a lot more willing to do international games if the league helped out with travel and bye week timing or whatever it may be. If that happens, I think everyone would be willing to have an international game, at least one in a season.

“When we went to Brazil, we couldn’t leave the hotel.
And nobody liked that. And we all agree that, if we are going to go and make the trip, I want at least a day to be able to see things. I feel like that alone, an event like that, would bring just as many eyes to the sport.”

Covey, 29, has been a serviceable special-teamer this season. Now on his second stint with the Eagles, Covey has 135 punt return yards this season, including a season-best 41-yard return which set the Eagles up in scoring position against the Los Angeles Rams last week.

“You all got a little taste of the Covey experience,” wide receiver Darius Cooper told reporters after the game. “Right after we scored, I went up to him and said ‘That’s you.’ ... He’s a special type of player. He’s blessed.”

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Different year, different offensive coordinator, yet still, it feels like Déjà vu all over again. The Eagles had little margin for error Sunday vs. the Rams because of injuries. They played hard despite being shorthanded, but in the end, couldn’t put the Rams away, mainly because of poor execution on offense. Why hasn’t Sean Mannion's scheme clicked? How culpable are head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts in the offensive rut the Eagles find themselves in? The Inquirer's Jeff McLane and David Murphy analyze the fallout from the 24-20 loss to L.A. Listen here.

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