Salute! Eagles DE Chris along Donating 6 Game Checks To Charlottesville ScholarshipsChris Long is in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles and he has already begun making an impact on the city as well as the nation. He is among the first white NFL players to stand with black players who have protested the national anthem.He has also been very vocal in the racist things that have gone on over the past few months.
The Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman is donating his first six game checks this season to fund a pair of scholarships for kids in Charlottesville, Va., the scene of this summer's ugly race clashes.
Long is a native of Charlottesville and a product of the University of Virginia. He was particularly outspoken after violent protests surrounding a statue of Civil War General Robert E. Lee.
"In August, we watched people fill our hometown streets with hatred and bigotry," Long said in a statement Tuesday. "(My wife) Megan and I decided to try to combat those actions with our own positive investment in our community."
The socially-conscious Long has never been shy about not sticking to sports. As a member of last year's New England Patriots team, he did not attend the championship ceremony at the White House with President Donald Trump. Long has also been one of the few white NFL players to participate in the pregame anthem protests that Colin Kaepernick started last year.
Long, in his first year with the Eagles, has been standing with an arm on teammate Malcolm Jenkins, who raises a fist during "The Star-Spangled Banner."
"I would have felt really strange, morally, if I hadn't done something," Long had said of supporting Jenkins. "I felt compelled to do it. Certainly I've always seen the need for silent protest. I've said numerous times, I won't kneel but with everything that happened in my hometown, it was a tipping point for me." -(Evan Grossman, NY Daily News)
We support you Chris!