#Roommates, Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long is definitely invited to the cookout! Before the Eagle’s preseason game against the Bills on Thursday, Long put his arm around safety Malcolm Jenkins as he raised his fist during the national anthem.
According to CSN Philly, Long felt he had to take a stand after what happened in his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia.
“It’s been a hard week for everybody,” Long said postgame. “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, ‘Why do athletes get involved in the national anthem protests?’ I’ve said before that I’ll never kneel for an anthem because the flag means something different for everybody in this country, but I support my peers. 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.”
“Malcolm is a leader and I’m here to show support as a white athlete.”
Long spoke out against the Charlottesville attacks earlier this week, and called the actions of the protesters “despicable.”
“I was inspired by a lot of the allies that were there to stand up against hate in my hometown, and I wasn’t able to be there to protest or to stand up against hate. People like Heather Heyer gave their lives for that, and I was inspired by that,” he said. “So it’s just telling Malcolm, I am here for you, and I think it’s a good time for people who look like me to be here for people fighting for equality.”
According to ESPN, Long told Jenkins about his plans beforehand and he agreed.
“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.
This is what we like to see #Roommates!
