Chris Long on anthem protest support: 'Time for people that look like me' to step up
Chris Long (56) supports Malcolm Jenkins (27) during his protest Thursday night. (AP)More
The Philadelphia
Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins has been offering his own statement during the pregame
playing of the national anthem, raising a fist to protest racial injustice.
Teammate Chris Long joined Jenkins on Thursday night, placing a hand on
Jenkins’ shoulder. It was a small gesture in the moment, but it could have
significant impact on the ongoing anthem debate.
Why? Very simple.
Jenkins, like Colin Kaepernick and most — if not all — the anthem protesters in
the NFL to date, is black. Long is white.
“I think it’s a good
time for people that look like me to be here for people that are fighting for
equality,” Long said after the game. A graduate of the University of
Virginia who considers Charlottesville his home, Long spoke out in no uncertain
terms about President Trump’s “both sides” equivocation in the wake of last
weekend’s fatal riots.
“It’s been a hard week
for everybody,” he continued. “I think it’s not just a hard week for
someone being from Charlottesville. It’s a tough week for America. I’ve heard a
lot of people say, ‘You need white athletes to get involved in the anthem
protest.’ I’ve said before that I’ll never kneel for an anthem because the flag
means something different to everybody in this country, but I support my
peers.”
Long then directly
addressed the critics he knew would be rising out of the comment sections and
sports-radio call-ins of the world: “If you don’t see why you need allies for
people that are fighting for equality right now, I don’t think you’ll ever see
it,” he said. “My thing is, Malcolm’s a leader and I’m here to show support as
a white athlete.”
Jenkins is one of a
growing number of athletes taking a strong stand against racial injustice,
using the nonviolent symbolism of silent anthem protest to draw attention to
their cause. Kaepernick, of course, is out of a job at the moment; whether
that’s because of his political protest or his lack of skills is a matter of
some dispute. But Jenkins, a highly regarded safety, ranked 90th on the NFL’s
Top 100 list earlier this year. Like fellow protester Michael Bennett of
Seattle and (possibly) Marshawn Lynch of
Oakland, he’s not so easy to brush aside from a football perspective.
“Stepping out in front
of all those people and the obvious attention that is going to be brought to it
is not an easy thing to do,” Jenkins said after the game. “I think looking at
the atmosphere last year compared to this year, so much has transpired, and in
a negative direction, that I think the stakes are almost higher now.”
“When you get in the position on a platform
where you get a chance to give back and create opportunities for others, that’s
where I want my legacy to be,” Bennett told YahooSports earlier this week. “I want to create opportunities for
others. I want to raise the bar about what we can do as athletes and people.”
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
