Well, this could be awkward.
Falcons rookie safety Keanu Neal has an autographed Kam Chancellor Seahawks jersey hanging up in his locker stall. The Falcons play the Seahawks on Saturday in an NFC divisional playoff game but Neal said he has no plans to move the jersey out of sight this week.
“I don’t see it as ‘(Playing) against the Seahawks so I’ve got to hide it,’” Neal said. “It’s Kam Chancellor. He’s a brother to me.”
Neal and Chancellor worked out together last summer after Chancellor reached out to him. Chancellor wrote a message on the autographed jersey wishing Neal success.
Neal said he and Chancellor stay in touch via text messaging.
“He’s helped me out football-wise and off the field, as well,” Neal said. “It’s a brotherhood. He’s huge on helping people. He’s big on ‘each one, teach one,’ just being able to help everybody. And he’s definitely helped me a lot.”
The Falcons selected Neal with the No. 17 overall draft pick. The Falcons envision Neal growing into the enforcer role that Chancellor, also a safety, plays with the Seahawks. Falcons coach Dan Quinn worked with Chancellor as Seahawks defensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014.
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