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Eugene Chung Says He Won't Reveal Who Made 'Right Minority' Remark amid NFL Review
May 25, 2021
Former NFL offensive lineman and assistant coach Eugene Chung said Tuesday he won't tell the NFL who told him he was "not the right minority" during an offseason job interview.
Chung confirmed to ESPN he hasn't been contacted by the league about the remark yet, but he said he won't provide the name of the person who delivered the remark even if asked.
"I'm not looking to shame anybody, I'm not looking to call anyone out, or name names ... what good comes of that?" he said. "I really don't think he was saying it in a discriminatory or malicious way; it was matter of fact."
Chung, who is of Korean descent, was a first-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 1992 NFL draft. He made 34 appearances across three seasons with the Pats before one-year stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995 and Indianapolis Colts in 1997.
The Virginia Tech product also made stops with the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, though he didn't make any regular-season appearances for those teams. He also played for the Arena Football League's Tampa Bay Storm during a nine-year playing career.
Chung became an NFL coach for the first time with the Eagles in 2010, working as the club's assistant offensive line coach.
He later filled the same role for the Chiefs from 2013 through 2015 before returning the Philadelphia for four years beginning in 2016. He was part of the Eagles' Super Bowl LII-winning coaching staff.
Chung, 51, told ESPN the rise in violence and acts of hate toward the Asian community—NBC News' Kimmy Yam noted research showed a 169 percent rise in hate crimes in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same time period last year—affected his decision on whether to speak out.
"With everything that's going on in this country and in the world, I have stayed quiet, and I've always kept my head down," he said. "That was what I was taught by my father who immigrated here—he's like, 'Do your work as best you can, stay quiet. Don't cause any trouble.' I don't feel like I'm causing trouble, I'm just bringing information to light."
The Maryland native added if his situation can bring awareness to injustices impacting the Asian community, it'll be "well worth it."
"You get bitten by a snake and the snake slithers off into the bush—do you chase the snake or do you heal the wound?" Chung told ESPN. "Let's heal the wound."
The NFL announced Monday it would review the alleged comments made to Chung.