Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly has labelled LeSean McCoy as "wrong" for suggesting that race played a role in his decisions.

Kelly said that while he was not affected by the statements, he had reached out to his former player to clear the air but was ignored.

"I've got great respect for LeSean," Kelly told reporters.

"However, in that situation, I think he's wrong. We put a lot of time looking into character and factors that go into selection and retention of players. Colour's never been one of them."

McCoy said last month that Kelly "got rid of all the good black players".