Eagles' Locker Room Leaders: Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Long ...
>> Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins 'tired of the narrative being about the anthem'
Tim McManus
ESPN
June 07, 2018 ...
espn.com
Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins opted not to speak during his media availability Wednesday. Instead, he held up signs highlighting the work of NFL players in the community and facts related to social justice matters every time a question about the cancellation of the White House visit was raised.
On Wednesday evening, Jenkins broke his silence and explained the motivation behind that action in a one-on-one interview with ESPN.
"I'm tired of the narrative being about the anthem, about the White House or whatever," he said following a meeting in downtown Philadelphia with top public defenders from around the country on the issue of bail reform. "The issues are the issues. And the reason that we're doing any of this is because we have these huge disparities in our criminal justice system; we have this issue of mass incarceration; we have issues of police brutality; our children and access to education and economic advancement is nonexistent in communities of color. And these things are systemic; there are ways that we can change them.
"And for me, I feel like this is the time to do that. And so, that message can't continue to be ignored. And that's what I think has been happening up until this point. So we just have to continue to stay on topic and continue to push the issues -- and not this narrative of who's right and who's wrong, but what are the reasons why players are even so passionate about this."
The story that has dominated the headlines is the White House cancelling on the Eagles a day before the scheduled visit, accusing them of a "political stunt" by notifying the White House at the last minute that only a small contingent of players would attend.
The team had been deliberating for weeks how to best approach the trip to make it an experience the players could agree on and share together. One idea that was considered during those talks was having a group of players meet with the president to discuss issues of importance to them.
"An opportunity, I think, was floated around as an idea," Jenkins said of a sit-down with President Donald Trump. "But a lot of that back-and-forth with the White House was not -- we as a team weren't necessarily privy to that information; that was kinda going between team executives and the White House. And so as players, I think it was left up to each individual what they wanted to do; they were gonna have some options. But then ultimately, the decision was to only send a few guys, and then obviously it got cancelled after that."
Jenkins said he does not view the proposed sit-down with the president as an opportunity lost, saying most inroads concerning the issues he's fighting for are made at the local level.
To that end, Jenkins and two other Eagles -- fellow safety Rodney McLeod and defensive end Chris Long -- met with chief public defenders from around the country after Wednesday's practice to gain knowledge about the bail system. The Players Coalition, which was founded by Jenkins and former NFL wideout Anquan Boldin, is gearing up to make a big push on bail reform, so the Eagles trio participated in an hour-and-a-half session with the chief defenders to help formulate an action plan to make the best use of their efforts and influence.
The Players Coalition joined in a partnership with the NFL in November that calls for the league to contribute $89 million over seven years to projects dealing with criminal justice reform, law enforcement/community relations and education. Jenkins stopped protesting during the national anthem after that partnership was forged.
The league's new anthem policy, which requires players to stand if they are on the field during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," has added fuel to the controversy and politicization surrounding the issue in recent weeks. Jenkins, though, does not believe it will have an impact on the Players Coalition's efforts.
"I'm not sure about the whole anthem policy. But I know that won't affect our work outside of that. We've been doing work outside of the anthem since the beginning. Before the anthem even started, players were involved in these types of social justice issues," Jenkins said. "The anthem protests or demonstrations just brought eyes and attention to it.
"And so for us, it's just continuing to do the work, continuing to share our message to those who actually even want to hear it, to stay on topic and not really get into arguments about what's right, what's wrong -- 'cause those are all excuses for people to not listen to you. And so for us, it's staying on topic, doing the work, supporting those who are doing the work and pushing forward." <<
>> 'I love Chris and Malcolm': Philadelphia Eagles defend vocal teammates in wake of White House drama
Aaron Kasinitz
Penn Live
June 06, 2018
pennlive.com
Philadelphia Eagles' Chris Long (56), Malcolm Jenkins (27) and Rodney McLeod (23) gesture during the National Anthem before an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Philadelphia. - AP Photo/Matt Rourke)-
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz has heard Malcolm Jenkins on the phone, in a locker room full of sweaty and tired football players, planning campaigns with criminal justices reform advocates or making calls to promote events for his foundation.
"Malcolm is literally on phone calls all the time," Ertz said, "trying to do what he thinks is best for this country."
Jenkins, a Pro Bowl safety, has drawn praise from some and the ire of others with his outspoken political voice and activism. With that, comes attention and questions from reporters. Not just to Jenkins himself but also to his teammates.
And when the Eagles landed in national headlines this week after President Donald Trump rescinded the team's invite to the White House to celebrate its Super Bowl title because a small contingent of players planned to attend, many news outlets focused on Jenkins' national anthem demonstration and his criticisms of the president.
But Ertz said no Eagles player has expressed frustration toward Jenkins or defensive end Chris Long, another player who has voiced an opposition to Trump. Instead, Ertz highlight the charitable efforts of the two defensive veterans.
"I love Chris and Malcolm," he said. "I think what they do in the community never gets enough attention."
Long donated his entire 2017 NFL salary to promote equity in education, while Jenkins spent time lobbying for criminal justice reform and founded the Players Coalition to organize NFL players interested in activism.
Just as importantly to Ertz, who said he hadn't decided whether he would go to the White House when Trump pulled the invite, Jenkins and Long don't force their views onto teammates.
Jason Kelce echoed that sentiment. Though the all-pro center hasn't come out in support of Jenkins' initiatives and declined to say whether he'd attend the White House, Kelce affirmed that he's spoken to Jenkins about his activism and has never felt tension in the locker room because of political opinions.
"This whole thing with the White House, obviously, everybody has their own viewpoints and stuff like that," Kelce said. "But one thing we have here is we have really good people, and we have guys that care for each other, and they can set aside their personal differences."
The Eagles have shown few signs of splintering in the wake of the White House's attack on the team. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said the team performed a "political stunt" in its handling of a potential visit to meet Trump.
A White House statement said the Eagles abandoned their fans.
Most members of the team avoided mentioning Trump on Wednesday during the first media availability of the week, and in a news conference, coach Doug Pederson sidestepped many questions about the White House. Pederson said he was "looking forward to" going to the event but was ready to move on.
When asked about Jenkins, Pederson praised the safety and team captain.
"Very passionate, obviously, not only with his football team, but in the community," Pederson said. "He's got a great drive, great motivation. Love what he's been doing. Just stand by him. For us, it's all about team and unity and supporting our guys."
That's indicative of the broad message the Eagles are sending about togetherness. Ertz said Jenkins and Long have inspired him to become more involved in charitable efforts -- he expects to roll out plans for "something big" in the next couple months with his wife, United State soccer star Julie Ertz -- and he said he and his teammates are proud Americans.
Often, Ertz said, Eagles teammates express different views. They all have an understanding of each other's objectives, though. And according to Ertz, there's no infighting.
"From the beginning of last year, everyone understood that Malcolm is vocal in his beliefs, but he also did a lot of amazing work in the community," Ertz said. "People love and respect him for doing all that amazing work in the community. And I think that's what's unique in this locker room is that everyone's treated with respect. People truly care about one another. People respect other people's opinions.
"It's not my job to try and change Malcolm's opinion; it's not Malcolm's job to try and change mine." <<
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- Eric L. - |
