Chris Long, No. 56 Of Philadelphia Eagles: First White Football Player To Join Protest Movement Gets 21K Likes

A special gesture happened when the Buffalo Bills went up against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, August 17. As seen in the above photo, Malcolm Jenkins wears No. 27 of the Philadelphia Eagles, and he held his fist in the air in what is known as either a “Black Power” salute or a show of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick’s movement to bring attention to police brutality and other civil rights issues. That’s when Malcolm’s teammate, Chris Long, who sports No. 56 of the Philadelphia Eagles, wrapped his left arm around Jenkins during the national anthem before the preseason game began in a show of support that is going viral. The incident at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is getting plenty of attention one day after it happened.

As seen on Trendolizer, the article titled “Chris Long Is First White Player In NFL To Join National Anthem Protests” by Revere Press has gotten nearly 21,000 likes on Facebook in a short period of time. As reported by Yahoo Sports, with Chris making a small gesture in a show of support for Malcolm’s silent protest, Long made a move that could have a deep impact going forward because Chris is white, and most of the folks who have protested during the national anthem by kneeling, sitting, praying with their heads down or raising their fists in defiance of police brutality have been black football players.

“Jenkins, like Colin Kaepernick and most — if not all — the anthem protesters in the NFL to date, is black. Long is white.”

After the game, Chris said that it’s time for people who look like Long to show their support to people who are fighting for equality. With Long considering Charlottesville his hometown, as a graduate of the University of Virginia, Long fought against his critics, even as Chris proclaimed that he wouldn’t kneel during the national anthem, but that he would support his teammates and others fighting against injustice.

“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. My thing is, Malcolm’s a leader and I’m here to show support as a white athlete.”

Long made no bones about the fact that he is a white football player showing support for movements he believes in and lending an arm to his fellow football peer. Chris is using his platform to bring attention to the plight of racial justice as he sees fit, with Long noting how much advice he has heard that white football players and athletes should get involved in fighting against wrongdoings as needed.

[Featured Image by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images]