Why Jordan Mailata's Comments On A.J. Brown Are Blown Out Of Proportion

There were more to Mailata's comments than four words that are making the rounds

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

"Thank God It's Over."

Those are the words that have gone viral after Jordan Mailata spoke in the aftermath of the A.J. Brown trade. The statement has been aggregated and broken down to death, even though that isn't what Mailata really meant.

Social media has a way of breaking down quotes into even shorter quotes. Words are not just taken at face value anymore. This is a reality of the current state of media consumption we must face.

Mailata's comments were more than those four words, but those were the four words that stood out The entire comment meant significantly more.

What Mailata said

Mailata was in the same position of many Eagles fans. He wasn't sure if Brown was going to remain in Philadelphia or not, as the Eagles really couldn't trade him until June 1. Brown could have shown up and participated in voluntary workouts and changed his mind, but his time with the Eagles essentially reached the point of no return.

"I think this is more of a -- it sounds terrible -- but like, thank God it's over," Mailata said regarding the departure of Brown. "It was a slow pain of just, is he in, is he out? We didn't really know, and that really wasn't our focus as a team, our team, especially on offense."

Mailata was in the dark regarding Brown's future. That was above his pay grade, as the captain was concerned with learning a new offense and a new offensive line coach (Jeff Stoutland was the only offensive line coach Mailata has ever had).

Was it a sense of relief?

Fear of the unknown clouded the Eagles, as a lot of players likely knew what was coming. That didn't make the situation any better, especially when a great player and difference maker such as Brown is on the roster.

The Eagles admitted it's difficult to part ways with a great player like Brown, and the reaction from the players appeared to be the same. Mailata was honest about how things were playing out over teh last few weeks regarding Brown, unaware of how long he was going to be a part of the organization.

"I think most of us that have been here the last six weeks, we have moved on," Mailata said. "Just from, we have enough to worry about."

There is more of a relief that the Brown saga is over, more than how the Eagles felt regarding Brown as a player. Perhaps more will come out as time passes on, but Brown was respected and liked in that locker room.

Football is a business. Brown made a business decision and so did the Eagles.