Did The Eagles Ask Super Fan Shoulder Pad Guy To Step Down In July 2021? (Update: No, They Did Not)
UPDATE: Shaun Young has updated his Facebook with another conversation he had with someone from the Eagles organization today. Apparently it was a case of miscommunication and he wasn’t actually asked to step aside.
We can all return to our regular lives now with the full knowledge that the Eagles did not ask Young to step down. PHEW.
If you’ve watched an Eagles game since 1995 there’s a great chance you’ve seen Shaun Young on your television. Often known as “Eagles Shoulder Pad Guy,” Young officially hung up the moniker in July 2021, which Kevin Kinkead covered on this very site with the energy of a young Woodward and Bernstein taking down Richard Nixon’s presidency.
But Young took to his Facebook page over the weekend and revealed that maybe it wasn’t all his decision to put his shoulder pads away and watch his beloved Eagles every week with a lot less grease paint on his face.
Young, in fact, said it was allegedly the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES who asked him to step down from his role by way of a phone call before the start of the 2021 season. Why did he choose to reveal this now? Because of a case of mistaken identity over the weekend’s NFL draft in Las Vegas.
Young never worked for the Philadelphia Eagles or represented them in any official capacity. Here’s what he had to say on his Facebook page:
Shaun seems pretty certain that the Eagles, or someone claiming to be a part of the Eagles, called him to ask that he step down. This is all alleged, of course, and I think in the end may end up being a case of miscommunication between the two parties.
The gentleman he was mistaken for? It was likely Jamie Pagliei, who goes by the nickname “The Philly Sports Guy” on his social media pages. If you saw the draft during any of the Eagles picks you probably saw him. He was the guy who was also wearing shoulder pads and face paint.
What’s that old meme? When you ask your mom if you can get Eagles Shoulder Pad Guy, but she says you already have Eagles Shoulder Pad Guy at home?
We reached out to Young and he stressed that the Eagles did not ask him to step down so he could be specifically replaced by Pagliei, but he did say that he was allegedly asked by an Eagles representative to step down from his role and let another fan or fans take the reigns, so to speak.
Here’s his side of the story:
In June/July of 2021, I received a call from a Philadelphia Eagles representative. We spoke for close to an hour and the meat of the call was requesting me to step down from being the Ultimate Eaglezphan. I was not and never have been paid or worked for the organization. They were always amazing, personable and professional with me. This call was to ask me if I would step aside and allow OTHER FANS, NOT anyone in particular to take the reigns and be a ‘fan rep.’ I didn’t and still don’t know why this was an issue or why there couldn’t be more than one ultimate fan, but whatever. I was initially in shock and thought they were joking, but through the call it became 100% that it was a legit request. The organization wasn’t upset or mad with me for any reason. I just wasn’t given an actual reason. Due to me contemplating ‘retirement’ after the Super Bowl, I thought maybe this is the time. I didn’t stop after the Super Bowl due to a few Eagles players hearing of it and asking me not to. I decided to hold off and stay in character for ’18 and ’19. 2020 was the COVID season so no fan season. Upon preseason approaching 2021, the call came. The one thing that was said to me via the representative was that the request came from someone at a higher paid grade than they were. I also had a couple reps come to me at the first couple games and apologize for what was asked of me. That’s basically it in a nutshell. Again, Jamie aka Philly Sports Guy was NOT mentioned by name and he is NOT at fault.
Young noted several times that Pagliei is not to blame for any of this, and I have to believe him. It seems he’s more annoyed that he was asked by a member of the organization to step down out the blue from something he so clearly loved doing.
God speed, Young! Maybe one day when we need it the most you’ll decide to dust off the old shoulder pads and give us the biggest EAGLES chant you can muster from the Jetro Lot.