Philadelphia Eagles star Darius Slay forced to apologize for Brazil remarks ahead of NFL matchup with Green Bay Packers

AP

NFL star Darius Slay has apologized for his comments about Brazil.

The Philadelphia Eagles face the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo tomorrow – the first NFL game to be played in South America.

Getty

Getty

Eagles cornerback Slay, 33, said ahead of the matchup that he had told his family not to travel to Brazil over safety fears.

“Man, I do not want to go to Brazil,” Slay said on his podcast .

“They already told us not to leave the hotel. They told us you can’t do too much because the crime rate is crazy.

“Like NFL, why would you want to send us somewhere with a crime rate this high?

“I told my family not to come down, because I’m going to be nowhere to be found. I’ll be in the hotel minding my own business, playing my game after a long, 9.5 hour flight.”

Slay has since taken to social media to say sorry to the people of Brazil.

“I want to apologize to anyone I offended, that wasn’t my intention,” he posted on X.

“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!!!! #FlyEaglesFly.”

Some fans pointed out under his post that X is banned in Brazil , meaning local supporters would not be able to read the post.

It is certain to be picked up by Brazilian news outlets, however.

In a bizarre twist, New York Giants wideout Darius Slayton has been forced to try and distance himself from the issue due to their similar names.

“Dear people of Brazil my name is Darius SlayTON I play WR for the Giants i am innocent,” he posted on X.

Fellow Eagles star AJ Brown is also planning on staying planted in the hotel when not playing.

“We had a meeting yesterday. It was like a whole bunch of don’t do’s,” Brown said.

“I’m just trying to go down there, win a football game, and come back home.

“That’s the best way I can put it.”

Players have also been asked not to wear green while in Brazil due to gang affiliations.

The Eagles have debuted a special black uniform for the game to remove the green from their jerseys.

But the Packers are maintaining their usual green uniforms for the Brazil game.

The Sao Paulo state government has beefed up security to try and allay fears.

“To guarantee the safety of the players, the military police will reinforce the number of personnel upon arrival of the delegations at the Guarulhos Airport and escort the teams to their hotels, training sites and the stadium,” it said in a statement.