Phillies star Bryce Harper grew up in Las Vegas and rooted for the Dallas Cowboys as a child.
But he’s not a kid anymore.
And since Harper was a guest on Lane Johnson’s online show “Outside the Lane,” the Eagles right tackle had to check Harper on his NFL fandom.
It was a fun part of the 35-minute conversation:
Johnson: We’re gonna turn the tables a little bit and get a little bit more serious. There was a few years ago, the Cowboys were playing the Packers in the playoff game and my grandma’s sitting there cheering. I think I was out with my uncle, we just came in from hunting and she’s in there cheering on the Cowboys. I said, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ I said, ‘Hey, if you want to live to be 76 you better shut your ass up and get out the house.’ She was a Cowboys fan under cover and I heard you may have been a Cowboys fan too.
Harper: Hey man, I’m Eagles through and through, kid. That’s it. Changed my ways. Changed my ways, man.
Johnson: That’s all I wanted to hear.
NFL
Harper: I got into Philly and you can’t do it, man. Seeing the way you guys play and the way you guys go about it every single week, just like the Sixers or anybody else. I couldn’t imagine walking in somewhere and disrespecting you guys. No, I’m serious. The way you guys prepare, the way you guys do it, I think that was kind of one thing that when I was in DC I was like, ‘I always rooted for the Cowboys when I was growing up and things like that.’ It was like my dad did it and I did it. But then a couple years back, I was like, I don’t really watch it as much, I don’t know the guys.
Now, getting to know you or Carson (Wentz) or anybody that comes over the the Bank and things like that. I was talking to (his wife) Kayla during football season. Of course I play fantasy like any other baseball player. I see you guys prepare, I see the way you guys go through it, especially last year. I think losing all the guys you guys lost last year for injury and things like that, for you guys to be where you were showed how much of a family you guys were. You could see that. It was that next man up mentality. And the way Doug Pederson deals with everything. I don’t play for Doug so I wouldn’t know.
Johnson: You can see it. It’s pretty evident.
Harper: You can see it. You can see the drive and the passion that you guys have for each other and the love you guys have for each other. And I think that’s just so installed into you guys. And the fans want to see it, they want to see it every week. But also, you guys are the Philadelphia freaking Eagles. It’s a lot different than the Phillies and I think I can say that. I feel like the fans are so into you guys and they are into us as well. But it’s the Eagles, man. It’s life and death every single week. Your 16 or 17 week schedule and you have to win. You guys kind of came together last year and everyone was like, ‘wow, this is insane.’
So that’s settled. Harper is officially an Eagles fan.
And he specifically brought up being a fan of Boston Scott, who played a big role in the stretch run of the 2019 season.
During this episode he even joked that he’s thinking about playing for the Eagles if this baseball season doesn’t happen. Harper grew up playing outside linebacker and fullback and called football his first love.
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