Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay blasted the NFL for scheduling the team’s opening game against the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and told his family not to come because of the “crazy” high crime rate.
The NFL — which has scheduled games in London, Munich, and Mexico City in recent years — set up the league’s first game in South America, which will take place on Friday. During a recent episode of his podcast “Big Play Slay,” the Eagles defensive back said he’s looking forward to the start of the 2024 season but added that he’s not excited about the Brazil game.
“Week 1, I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait, but man, I do not wanna go to Brazil,” Slay said. “You wanna know why? I’m here 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.”
“I’m like, NFL, why would y’all wanna send us somewhere where the crime rate is this high? And we’re out of the country, so the first thing people are thinking is something terrible can possibly happen,” he added. “I told my family, ‘Do not come down there,’ because I’m not gonna be anywhere to be found, really. I’m gonna be in the hotel chilling, minding my business, playing my game, after a long, nine-and-a-half-hour flight.”
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Slay on Brazil trip: “Week 1.. I can’t wait. But man, I do not wanna go to Brazil.. They already told us not to leave the hotel. They told us we can’t do too much, because the crime rate is crazy. I’m like ‘NFL, why would you wanna send us somewhere with a crime rate this… pic.twitter.com/7921ob1f8R
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) September 2, 2024
Homicide statistics for Sao Paulo, a city of more than 11 million people, are scarce. Murders in the city have reportedly decreased in recent years, but murder numbers for all of Brazil remain high. In October 2023, the U.S. State Department issued a Level 2 travel advisory for Brazil, encouraging Americans to “exercise increased caution” in the country “due to crime.”
“Violent crime, such as murder, armed robbery, and carjacking, is common in urban areas, day and night. Gang activity and organized crime is widespread. Assaults, including with sedatives and drugs placed in drinks, are common. U.S. government personnel are discouraged from using municipal buses in all parts of Brazil due to an elevated risk of robbery and assault at any time of day, and especially at night,” the State Department wrote.
The NFL’s Brazil game also comes as the country is getting blasted for banning social media company X. Last week, Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered that X, formerly Twitter, be suspended in the country. Under the order, anyone in Brazil who attempts to access X via other means, such as a VPN, will face daily fines of nearly $9,000.
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The Eagles vs. Packers game will be the first opening weekend game in NFL history to be played on a Friday night. Football fans have voiced frustration about the game only streaming on Peacock and not being available on traditional cable channels for Americans. For people in Brazil, however, the Eagles vs. Packers game will be available on the Brazilian TV network RedeTV! and ESPN Brazil.
