After being fired, Chip Kelly privately called WIP's Angelo Cataldi

One day after being released as head coach of the Eagles, Chip Kelly didn't hold a press conference or speak publicly, choosing instead to keep quiet and release a statement.

But he did make at least one phone call.

WIP morning show host Angelo Cataldi says he was driving home Wednesday afternoon speaking to his wife when co-host Rhea Hughes called to inform him that Chip Kelly wanted to speak to him.

"I was flummoxed," Cataldi said on Thursday morning. "I said to myself, 'I can't even imagine what this is.'"

Cataldi has spent the past three seasons speaking to Kelly every week on WIP following Eagles games, but other than a handful of other brief encounters when Cataldi delivered pies to the team, the sports radio host had no relationship with the former coach.

At first, Cataldi was worried Kelly was calling to complain about Tuesday's show, where the WIP host spent nearly the entire four hours slamming Kelly's people skills. But once Kelly called and the two began to speak, Cataldi was pleasantly surprised.

"It was the most gracious conversation I could ever remember having with anyone I ever talked about or dealt with in sports in my life," Cataldi said. "He could not have been nicer. He was very philosophical about what happened to him, very confident of his future, and I couldn't believe it."

Cataldi said it was the first time he'd ever been called by a former coach in his career covering sports, noting he never heard from Ryne Sandberg, Andy Reid or any other coach he covered or had on his show.

"Not only did Charlie Manuel not call me, he refused to call me during the time he was the manager for eight years," Cataldi said. "This guy did."

Cataldi said he was taken aback so much by Kelly's complimentary phone call the outspoken host was barely able to conduct his end of the conversation.

"I did get one line off at the end," Cataldi noted. "I said, 'Chip, I'm sure you'll get another job and I'm sure you'll be very successful at that job. When you know where it's going to be, let me know so I'll know where to send the pies.'

Listen to the entire segment: