Long, Jenkins blast NFL’s new anthem policy
PHILADELPHIA – The two most prominent voices of consciousness inside the Philadelphia Eagles locker room, Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Long, left no gray area: They detest the new national anthem policy that NFL owners adopted last week.
“I think it was driven by fear of a diminished bottom line … and the underlying factor is that they are afraid of the president,” Long said Tuesday.
“It’s their right,” the 11th-year defensive end added of league owners, “but it’s a clumsy rule. They didn’t involve the players. You can say what you want about the (collective bargaining agreement) and what we bargained, but with the optics of everything going on right now, in the midst of denying some people employment over this very issue, you’d think they would have been a little more careful.”
As Long spoke, Jenkins began holding court a few dozen feet away. Although the veteran safety co-founded the Players Coalition that has partnered with the NFL on a $90 million initiative to address social issues, he still had harsh words for the decision-makers behind the resolution.
Jenkins and Long were in the room with several owners last fall during a summit at league headquarters, when seemingly significant progress was made in the movement ignited by stillunemployed quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protests against police brutality and other social inequities challenging African Americans.
After naming a handful of owners — including the Eagles’ Jeffrey Lurie — who publicly supported the players’ causes, Jenkins shook his head and added of the policy, “To make a decision like that lacks the empathy, the sympathy and context the players were looking for.”
The new policy subjects teams to discipline if players do not stand or “show respect” during the anthem. Players who don’t wish to comply can remain in the locker room while the anthem is played.
“We don’t have these types of policies for the other causes that we support, whether it is our Salute to Service, breast cancer awareness or anything else,” Jenkins said. “It’s just when you start talking about black folks. It’s disheartening.”
Jenkins, who is African American, and Long, one of the few white players to speak about the issue, both said they are unsure if they will be on the sideline or remain in the locker room during the anthem.
The two have already reiterated that they will not visit the White House next Tuesday when President Trump will host the Eagles to commemorate their Super Bowl victory. The team is working on details that would allow players who wished not to attend the White House ceremony to instead engage in a community service project.
“It’s reopened a can of worms,” Long contended. “I think it’s only going to get messier.”
Such a sentiment might be widespread throughout the NFL.
“This is not supposed to be a fascist country, where you are forced to do things you don’t want to do,” Long said. “This is a free country.”
Jenkins wanted to remind Trump of that, as he blasted the president for his remarks last week suggesting that players who don’t comply with the new policy “maybe ... shouldn’t be in the country.”
Said Jenkins, “Whether it’s the rhet- oric that (when) players want to use their civil rights to fight for their community (they) should be deported, it just plays into our racist history. He has these comments that we’ve seen far too long.”
Neither Jenkins nor Long has ever taken a knee during the anthem.
But Jenkins has raised a fist and Long has stood by his side and placed a hand on his shoulder as a show of support.
Now they are contemplating whether to make a different type of statement. And they aren’t alone.
“I know you’ve pissed a lot of guys off,” Jenkins said of NFL owners, “regardless of whether they protested or not.”