I was not at all happy with Price when I read about the incident with Eck. I don't think Eck is too harsh on any of our players. As you said, he is beloved. I can understand why fans were not happy with him. I'm not excusing Price for his behavior.
That said, we don't know the full story. What you say that Price was 'clearly' trying to do is anything but clear. Also, I think the story was likely blown out of proportion.
Price acted badly in a particular situation. Other players have done similar things. It doesn't mean that they are a bad teammate.