NFL rookie Britain Covey took the blame for being denied access to the Philadelphia Eagles players’ parking lot ahead of the team’s home opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.
Covey, who was elevated from the Eagles’ practice squad to the active roster for the game, simply didn’t have the right pass, he told Howard Eskin of 94.1 WIP-FM in Philadelphia.
Hilarious story why and how #Eagles PR Britain Covey could not get into players parking Monday night at the Linc. The parking attendants didn’t even know who he was or actually a player. @SportsRadioWIP pic.twitter.com/uPQuW2zIEz
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) September 21, 2022
“To no fault of (the parking attendants), I had the practice squad pass,” Covey told Eskin. “My teammates told me, ‘Just tell them you were elevated to the active roster and they’ll let you in.’
“But I could tell they didn’t quite recognize me and when I told them I was elevated, they said, ‘Look, you don’t have the pass for this.’ And I said, ‘No, I’m a player.’ They said, ‘I’m sorry, man.’ I totally get where they’re coming from.”
The story gained attention Monday night, as news spread that Covey, the Utah native and former Utes wide receiver and return specialist, was forced to park elsewhere.
He said he had to park about a half mile away amongst the tailgaters near the Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field, but “I thought it was a blast honestly. It was kind of like college.”
The 5-foot-8, 173-pounder had to ask for directions, he told Eskin, but he was recognized by a few people — one fan shared a picture they took with Covey that corroborated the initial story of his (mis)adventures.
Great to meet you guys! Go birds! https://t.co/bIFx09fewI
— Britain Covey (@brit_covey2) September 20, 2022
“It was kind of inspiring to walk through the crowd and see how much people love football here,” he told Eskin. “It made me determined that I want to be a great player here.”
Covey, who went undrafted back in April and was waived by Philadelphia during final cutdowns before rejoining the team on its practice squad, had three punt returns for 14 yards in the Eagles’ 24-7 win over the Vikings. His longest return of the night went 8 yards.
He admitted the parking lot story is one his teammates have been enjoying.
“Every single teammate has been giving me a lot of funny laughs about it today,” the good-natured Covey told Eskin.