Freddie Mitchell: Strippers Told Me Donovan McNabb Didn't Like Me

For some reason, Freddie Mitchell, a forgettable former Eagles receiver if not for one catch on 4th-and-26, seems to have a thing against Donovan McNabb. Maybe it's a rivalry. Maybe it's a feud. Maybe it's hard feelings. Maybe it's attention-seeking. But it seems like every once in awhile Mitchell pops up and takes a swipe at his former quarterback.

Wednesday was that once in awhile. He went on 97.5 FM in Philly and talked about how he—and who knows why because he seems so likeable—could never get McNabb to like him and throw him the ball. Mitchell says he moved close to McNabb in a New Jersey town. He claims to have offered to babysit McNabb's kids so the QB could go out and have some fun on the town.

"I did all the things that it took to establish a great relationship," Mitchell told The Fanatic, as transcribed by CSN Philly. "But the fact that the fans loved me more than they loved him, it pissed him off."

What evidence did Mitchell have that McNabb just wasn't a fan? Perhaps it was simply a coincidence that Mitchell only had 90 catches in four seasons with the Eagles (and didn't get a job after that). Nope.

In FredEx's own words:

"It's funny. I was sitting up in the strip club at Delilah's. I had strippers coming up to me and ask, 'Why does he hate you?'

"I'm like, damn. I'm trying to have me a nice gentleman's drink, and they say, 'Why does he hate you so much?' I'm like what, 'What are you talking about?' Everybody knew it but me, and that's what the problem was.

"When the strippers know there's a problem, it's time to move on to different things."

Take this with the appropriately sized grain of salt that you like. Mitchell's loose lips about McNabb go back a long time.

In 2005, after the Eagles lost the Super Bowl, Mitchell had no problem going on the radio and airing out McNabb's alleged issues, including the infamous Pukegate, which Donovan has always denied.

"Donovan, he dry heaves a lot when he gets under certain situations," he said on ESPN Radio. "It's happened before. It's happened in the NFC Championship game. He was dry heaving and he couldn't get the words out in the play, so he gave me hand signals…I basically called the play and knew what the coaches were thinking in that situation. I called the play out and went on from there."

In 2011, Mitchell lobbed another shot at McNabb. Why? Who knows. He recounted a conversation he had with coach Andy Reid.

'Hey, Coach Reid, I had problems with Donovan McNabb," MItchell said on WIP radio. "You know I can't eat off of 12 catches a year. I need more catches. I'm doing all the things with the blocking and whatever else to make it happen. I need more catches. Donovan will not throw me the ball.'"

If only McNabb had just given him the ball, he'd have had one less headache. Or maybe it's if Mitchell could have just gotten open more often.