Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell addresses last week’s social media controversy

Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell expressed remorse while he addressed reporters Friday about his recent in-game spat with a fan on social media.

During halftime of Sunday’s win against the Washington Commanders, Gainwell received a direct message on Instagram stating, “Hold on to the football you [bleeping] bum.” He replied, “Lil boy don’t text me.” The fan surfaced a screenshot of his interaction across social media, which caused the coaching staff to address the issue with Gainwell after the game.

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“I haven’t been on my phone lately because I knew there was going to be some steam,” Gainwell said. “I know the situation. I handled it like a man and understand what I did with my profession.”

Gainwell acknowledged that he was frustrated with himself in the moment, after he fumbled during the first half of Sunday’s game. Gainwell said he typically checks his phone during halftime, mainly to text his parents and girlfriend.

“It was just the wrong click,” Gainwell said. “It was the heat of the moment. I understand that it was something that I shouldn’t have done and take the responsibility, taking a stand for it and understanding that I need to be better.”

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Said head coach Nick Sirianni: “He knows he made a mistake responding back to that person, who I’m assuming is an Eagles fan who then took a snapshot of it and posted on it. That’s a whole different set of issues if he’s an Eagles fan or whatever. I won’t even get into that. So yeah, I’m not even going to say anymore.”

The Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.