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The second game of the 2024 NFL season will pit the Philadelphia Eagles against the Green Bay Packers at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the league's first-ever match in South America.
A game at a neutral venue in a different country usually wouldn't put any team at a disadvantage from a fan support standpoint. However, the Brazilians have seemingly opted to back the Packers or rather root against the Eagles.
The Philadelphia roster was serenaded with loud jeers and boos as they jogged onto the field.
The Brazilians' disdain for the Eagles likely stems from Darius Slay's vicious rant about the country earlier this week. On the Big Play Slay podcast, the star cornerback chastised the league for hosting a game in Brazil and risking the players' safety. He said,
"Week 1, I'm looking forward to it. I can’t wait. But man, I do not wanna go to Brazil. You know why? I'm going to tell you why. They already told us not to leave the hotel. They told us we can’t do too much going on because the crime rate is crazy, you know what I'm saying? I’m like ‘NFL, why would you wanna send us somewhere with a crime rate this high?’ We're out the country. The first thing people think is something terrible could happen. I told my family do not come down there."
Talking down on a country that his team is scheduled to play in wasn't the wisest move on Slay's part, and it has seemingly handed the Packers an advantage that they didn't expect to have.
Darius Slay rant: Eagles CB apologized for comments about Brazil
The cornerback's rant instantly went viral on social media. Brazilian fans called him out, and he quickly realized his mistake and issued an apology on X, which read:
"I want to apologize to anyone I offended, that wasn’t my intention. I’m Looking forward to playing in your beautiful country and i’ve heard yall are very passionate just like our amazing Eagles fan. Just a few more days, can’t wait!"
Slay's retraction and apology have seemingly done little to repair the damage his comments caused. The cornerback has put himself and the team in the Brazilian fans' crosshairs, and the Packers will be grateful to him for it.
