Before the Philadelphia Eagles faced off against the Buffalo Bills in Thursday night’s exhibition game, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins raised his fist during the playing of the National Anthem, continuing his protest of social injustices from last season.
While Jenkins stood with his fist raised, defensive end Chris Long stood with his arm wrapped around his teammate for the entirety of the anthem.
Before the game, the two Eagles discussed Long’s desire to show support for Jenkins and the message of his protest, according to ESPN.
"I think it is important to show, especially for a white male to show, that although these problems don't necessarily affect you, you can still see the significance in it, you can still be in support of your brothers that are going through it," Jenkins said, according to ESPN.
A native of Charlottesville, Va. where violent protests broke out a week ago, Long said he personally couldn’t kneel for the playing of the National Anthem, but he agreed with Jenkins that it’s important for white athletes to step up and show support for those fighting for equality.
"I've heard a lot of people say you need white athletes to get involved in the anthem protests," Long said,” Long said, according to ESPN. "I've said before I'll never kneel for an anthem, because the flag means something different for everybody in this country, but I support my peers. And 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. So my thing is, Malcolm is a leader, and I'm here to show support as a white athlete."
Also showing support for Jenkins and the National Anthem protests started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick last season was Eagles cornerback Ron Brooks who kneeled during the anthem.
Brooks, who protested during the playing of the National Anthem alongside Jenkins last season, was sidelined with a hamstring injury and did not dress out for Thursday’s exhibition game.
The Eagles went on to win Thursday night's game against the Bills 20-16 and will play their next exhibition game against the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 24 at 7 p.m.
