Murphy reminds us he’s not from NJ with comments about Eagles

⬛ Gov. Murphy refuses to say who he will root for in the Super Bowl LVII

⬛ Comments about Eagles remind everyone Murphy is not from here

⬛  That time Eagles fans relentlessly heckled Chris Christie

Eagles or Chiefs?

It's a simple question as the Super Bowl teams prepare to face off on Sunday in Phoenix.

It's also a question Gov. Phil Murphy refuses to answer.

While a large portion of at least South Jersey will be loudly rooting for Philly's Eagles, Murphy remains silent on who he is pulling for in the big game.

On Wednesday, Murphy was speaking at an unrelated event in Woodbridge, and he was asked again who he is cheering for.

He, again, gave a non-answer.

He did say who he thinks will win.

"If I were placing a bet," Murphy said. "I'm taking the Eagles."

Murphy went on to say he thinks "the line is too thin," but he also said he will not be among the tens of thousands in New Jersey who will actually put a wager on the game.

Ok. If he were a betting man, Murphy would take the Eagles, but is he pulling for them?

The governor gave an uncomfortable laugh, and just replied, "I root for football."

Murphy is a huge sports fan, but his noncommittal answer serves to remind New Jerseyans he is not from here.

Massachusetts is where Murphy is from, and he remains a die-hard New England Patriots fan. When he was first elected in 2018, he made it clear that is where his loyalties remain.

It's certainly not unprecedented to have a New Jersey governor who does not root for the home teams in general, or the Eagles specifically.

Former Gov. Chris Christie, even though a New Jersey native, was a rabid Dallas Cowboys fan, and did not hide his disdain for the Eagles.

In 2017, Christie famously called Eagles' fans "generally angry, awful people."

Birds' fans never forgot that one. In 2019, Christie shared a luxury box at Lincoln Financial Field with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones when Dallas visited Philly in 2019. It appeared the only thing Eagles fan liked more than beating the Cowboys that day was relentlessly heckling Christie throughout the game.

It appears they will get no such pleasure from Phil Murphy. While Murphy has been known to attend a Rutgers game, he has not publicly attended an Eagles, Giants or Jets game when his beloved Patriots have come to play.

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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