49ers receiver Deebo Samuel is never afraid to tell it like he sees it. In the days following the NFC Championship Game, he called Eagles cornerback James Bradberry “trash,” and earlier this week, Samuel reiterated that he has no regrets.
Bradberry had a chance to spark a back-and-forth between players, and no matter how hard the reporters tried, he didn’t.
“Obviously I don’t necessarily like what he said,” Bradberry said, via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I wish he had used a better word to describe my game, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, all I can control is my work ethic and what I do on a daily basis.”
Bradberry said he had no idea why Samuel chose that word to describe the corner’s play, and Samuel did not explain it.
“You’d have to ask him,” Bradberry said. “From the clips I saw, they felt they had a good plan against us. They felt like they still had an open door against us. Yes, I don’t know. You have to ask him.”
Samuel and Bradberry will meet for the first time since the NFC Championship Game when the 49ers play in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Bradberry, a second-team All-Pro in 2022 and Pro Bowler in 2020, said he will let his game speak for itself. He had one interception and five passes defended in Sunday’s win over the Bills.
“You know what? I’ve been playing soccer since I was eight,” Bradberry said. “I’m 30 now, so I’ve played about 22 years of my life. I’ve had people say negative things about me in the past. When I got out of high school, people said I couldn’t do it. When I got to college, I transferred, [and] People said I couldn’t play corner because I originally played safety. And then when I came into the league, people said I couldn’t do certain things.
“I was drafted in the second round. It’s my eighth year in the league. So negative comments don’t actually bother me that much. I try not to let it get to me. I just try to control my work ethic and show up on Sunday and whatever cards I have, I’m going to play them. And let the product speak for itself.”