Raising awareness
Sight of Eagles hugging inspires Bills lineman to put up fist during anthem
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The sight of defensive end Chris Long putting his arm around Eagles teammate Malcolm Jenkins during the national anthem inspired Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Cameron Jefferson to make his own statement.
Jefferson raised his fist in what he called a silent, peaceful gesture protesting racial inequality before the Bills’ preseason game at Philadelphia on Thursday night.
“It gave me some courage,” Jefferson said Sunday, referring to seeing Long support Jenkins, who stood with a raised fist. “Just seeing that togetherness on their team between different races, different people, I felt like that’s all I wanted. I wanted togetherness to build awareness for that.”
It hit home for Jefferson because he and Jenkins are both members of Omega Psi Phi, a predominantly black fraternity founded at Howard University in 1911. Racial tensions spiked last week after a woman was killed during a white nationalist protest in Charlottesville, Va.
“It was important to me because I felt in my spirit, in my heart, that I had to take a stand for myself,” the 25-yearold Jefferson said. “I did it peacefully. I did it quietly. I didn’t want to be a distraction to the team.”
Bills coach Sean McDermott backed Jefferson after meeting with the player on Saturday and brought up what happened to his entire team before practice the next day.
“I think the key word here is respect. We respect Cam’s opinion. We respect and acknowledge what’s going on,” McDermott said. “When a player or anyone in this case takes an initiative to make a stand for something, if it’s ethical, I want them to know that I’m going to support them and we’re going to support them.” MATTHEWS WILL BE READY
Getting traded by the Philadelphia Eagles wasn’t easy on receiver Jordan Matthews. Getting hurt in his first practice with the Buffalo Bills didn’t help.
Putting his emotions and frustrations aside, Matthews vowed Sunday that he’ll be healthy, ready and focused to play in the season opener against the New York Jets in three weeks.
“I want to go out there and prove myself to my teammates. I want them to know that I’m tough, and I want them to know that I’m not the type of guy that wants to miss practice and just be there for games.” Matthews said. “I’m extremely confident I will be ready to play for Week 1.”
Matthews took the first step by participating in very light drills along the sideline before practice. He was limited to running and catching softly tossed balls in his first workout since chipping a bone in his sternum a week ago. REED IN ACTION
Washington activated tight end Jordan Reed from the physically-unable-to-perform list.
Reed had been on the list since the start of training camp in late July because of an injury to the big toe on his left foot. The team announced the roster move Sunday.
With the toe injury lingering since last season, Reed has not practiced with teammates or played in a preseason game. He said Friday he expected to practice next week.
The 27-year-old saw a specialist in North Carolina and said new orthotics in his shoes helped alleviate some of the soreness. It’s unclear if Reed will be available to play Aug. 27 against Cincinnati. BILLS SIGN DUO
The Buffalo Bills have signed tight end Rory Anderson and safety Adrian McDonald.
Buffalo freed up the two roster spots by designating tight end Jason Croom as waived/injured and releasing punter Austin Rehkow. The moves were made before practice on Sunday as the Bills prepare to play a pre-season game at Baltimore on Saturday night.