One day after Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said he doesn't use race when making roster moves, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith responded Friday, saying he never directly accused the head coach of racism.

Smith defended his comments, which hinted at racism, by saying he never used any form of the actual word and by claiming that he wasn't questioning whether Kelly was racist, Eagles players were questioning it through him.

"Since I'm the one that is considered to be the individual who instigated all of this, let me be very clear about where I stand," Smith said on First Take. "I have met Chip Kelly one time. I have never once called him a racist. It would be irresponsible for me or anyone else who has not dealt with him to call him such a thing. And that is as simple as that."

Earlier this summer, Smith said on ESPN that Kelly has made personnel decisions that "leave a few brothers feeling uncomfortable." He then pointed to a group of black stars whom Kelly got rid of, such as LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson, and a white player, Riley Cooper, who made a racist remark and is still on the team.

On Friday, Smith said his opinion from earlier this summer was based on information he was getting from the Eagles' locker room:

Smith went on to point out that his comments were based more around the Eagles' handling of Cooper, who was videotaped using a racial slur in 2013, but has remained with the team.

After Smith's original comments in March, former offensive lineman Tra Thomas said some players in the locker room last season felt a "hint of racism." Running back LeSean McCoy took those comments a step further, saying Kelly has gotten rid of "all the black players."

On Thursday, Kelly said he respected McCoy, but disagreed with his assessment.

"I've got great respect for LeSean," Kelly said. "However, in that situation, I think he's wrong. We put a lot of time in looking at the characters and factors that go into selection and retention of players, and color has never been one of them."

Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Sports on Facebook.