By Andrew Porter

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — 22 days ago LeSean McCoy’s controversial comments about his former head coach, Chip Kelly, making roster decisions based on skin color, were published.

“You see how fast [Kelly] got rid of all the good players,” McCoy previously told ESPN The Magazine. “Especially all the good black players. He got rid of them the fastest.”

On Thursday, the third day of offseason team activities, Kelly addressed the comments for the first time.

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

Were you hurt by it?

“No.”

Is it something you have to address in the locker room?

“No, I haven’t.”

Have you talked to LeSean since the trade?

“No, I reached out to him twice and he didn’t accept my call,” Kelly said. “And then I talked to his agent and told him I’d love to talk to him at some point in time, but I haven’t had a chance to touch base with him.”

Did the comments hurt you?

“It doesn’t hurt me,” Kelly said. “I’m not governed by the fear of what other people say. Events don’t elicit feelings, I think beliefs elicit feelings. And I understand what my beliefs are and I know who I am.

“You start chasing perception and you got a long life ahead of you son. That’s what it’s all about it. You can control one thing and you can control yourself and I know how we run this organization and it’s not run that way.”

Aren’t you worried about the perception in the locker room?

“Talk to the players,” said Kelly, “That’s a great question to talk to the players about.”