San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly met with the media today and was asked about a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN that he has representatives telling college football programs that he is staying in the NFL. Kelly was asked if that report was accurate.
"It's always been accurate," Kelly answered. "And I don't have any representatives that are telling anybody anything. I haven't talked to a college since I've been in the NFL and it's not my goal. My goal is to be the head coach of the 49ers and that's what I want to do so I don't know why...it surprises me that that continues to be a news story. It's been the same story since I left four years ago. I'm not looking to go back and that's what I've always said so I don't know why it's still a story."
Kelly was asked if, during his time between being fired by the Philadelphia Eagles and hired by the 49ers, his goal was only to remain in the NFL. "No. I didn't have any opportunities at any other level," he answered. "This is what I looked at when I was out. There was nothing at that time either.
"I think when you get done in the NFL season, when we get done late in January, there's really not any jobs open at the college level. I would have taken anything. I would have loved to have taken a job at a newspaper or media or anything. I wasn't in it for the money. I don't think you guys are in it for the money. It's for the love of the profession and the passion that you have for it. It would be the same thing for me."
"Whatever job I have, that's the job I want," Kelly continued. "That's the job I'm going to do. That's the way it's always been. I'm surprised it keeps coming up. I don't know why it keeps coming up."
Kelly was asked why he invited Phil Knight, who has ties to Oregon, to a 49ers home game. "Phil's come to my games in Philly and that wasn't a story. Phil's a great friend of mine. The fact that a friend of mine came to watch one of my games...when we played the San Francisco 49ers with the Philadelphia Eagles, he came to the game here. That wasn't a story when I was coaching in Philadelphia so I don't know. I have a lot of friends that come to games, but no one writes stories about them."