Chip Kelly assumed control of all things Eagles-wise, including the date and time of owner Jeffrey Lurie's holiday party.
And that last aspect may have been the straw that broke the camel's back.
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Kelly alienated himself to most of the Eagles staff, according to CBS Sports, which put Lurie on a fast track to getting rid of the mercurial coach.
"Lurie disliked the culture his building had taken on, with Kelly unable to relate to most people on a human level and all interactions generally leading back to football," CBS Sports reported. Even routine levels of small talk seemed impossible, and the owner began to question that ability of his coach to relate to or understand not only his players, but critical support staff as well."
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That was the backdrop for the final conflict between Kelly and Lurie that led to Kelly's dismissal after a Week 16 Philadelphia loss to the Redskins.
"For instance, Lurie has always taken considerable pride in the team's holiday party, going to great expense to throw the large gathering, with it becoming something of a prized tradition with him," CBS Sports reported. "According to numerous sources with knowledge of the situation, Kelly basically refused to attend it this year on its normal Monday night, and ultimately Lurie had to move it to a Friday afternoon onsite to facilitate Kelly's schedule. Kelly argued Monday night would disrupt the coach's planning for the week -- a fair enough claim -- but Lurie apologized to the organization for the haphazard way the party was conducted this year and told others it would not happen in that fashion ever again."
Coaches are creatures of habit, so Kelly may have had a legitimate argument, unless he didn't say anything until it was too late for Lurie to come up with an acceptable alternative.
"That's just part of a long list of reasons why Jeffrey made this move," one source close to the situation told CBS Sports, "but the whole thing with the Christmas party just epitomizes the split from what Jeffrey wants the Eagles to be, and what he felt like they were becoming."
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