Ever since former 49ers’ QB Colin Kaepernick first sat during the National Anthem last season, a plethora of fellow black players across the league have joined in, showing some sort of display during the song to bring awareness to the issue of police brutality and racial injustice prevalent in society today. For the first time, a white player has done the same.
Chris Long put his arm around Malcolm Jenkins in support of his national anthem protest. pic.twitter.com/Rc7mM4sOqk
— SB Nation (@SBNation) August 18, 2017
Eagles’ defensive end Chris Long, the son of Hall of Famer Howie Long, stood during the National Anthem Thursday’s preseason matchup against the Bills with his arm around heavily criticized teammate Malcom Jenkins. Though standing, Jenkins has raised his first in the air during the anthem since last season.
“It’s been a hard week for everybody,” he said. “It’s not just a hard week for someone being from Charlottesville. It’s a tough week for America.”
