Kenny Phillips clarifies remarks about Rex and Coughlin

On Tuesday afternoon, safety Kenny Phillips went on ESPN SportsCenter to talk about the radio interview that he and Antrel Rolle participated in.

On Monday, Rolle said Tom Coughlin could loosen up a bit and noted how the Jets' chemistry was better than the Giants' on Miami's WQAM (here's the link to the audio of the WQAM interview). When asked about Rex Ryan, Phillips said the brash Jets coach was the type of coach players would love to play for.

Phillips wanted to make it very clear that the two safeties were not taking any shots at Coughlin and that they did not want to give the impression that they rather play for the Jets and Ryan.

“Well first I want to clear some things up: I do not want to play for the Jets, I do not want to play for Rex Ryan,” Phillips said on ESPN SportsCenter. “I was drafted by the Giants, they stuck with me through my injury and I am very happy with this organization. There were some comments made last night during the interview that were obviously taken the wrong way.”

“The only thing that I was trying to get across, and not only me, Antrel Rolle, was we were trying to give the Jets some praise,” Phillips continued. “The intention was not to take shots at Tom Coughlin. The (comments) were maybe taken the wrong way with our answers. But we were not trying to take shots. Antrel and I are very happy to be a part of this Giants organization. We didn’t get up there and try to compare the Giants organization to the Jets organization.”

Like Rolle said in the radio interview, Phillips said he had a great relationship with his head coach.

“I have a great relationship with him,” said Phillips, who was drafted in the first round in 2008 by the Giants. “He’s a guy that you can go up there, you are having a problem, you can sit down and talk to him and he’s a very caring guy.”

Phillips said he is not worried about any fallout from the radio interview and that the Giants and Coughlin know how the safeties feel about the organization and their head coach.

“Coach Coughlin knows what kind of guys we are and so does the Giants organization,” Phillips said. “They know we wouldn’t intentionally take shots at our head coach or try to throw the Giants organization under the bus. We are not worried at all.”

“Like I said, Antrel and I are very happy to be a part of the Giants organization and we are happy with our head coach.”

Phillips also posted this blog emphasizing more of his clarifications on his website.

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(espn.com)