Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long showed support Thursday night as teammate Malcolm Jenkins continued his national anthem protest.
As the national anthem played before the team’s preseason home game against the Buffalo Bills, Long, a native of Charlottesville, VA, had his right hand over his heart and his left arm around Jenkins as the safety held his fist in the air.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say you need white athletes to get involved in the anthem protests,” Long said after the game. “I’ve said before I’ll never kneel for an anthem because the flag means something different for everybody in this country, but I support my peers. And 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. So my thing is, Malcolm is a leader, and I’m here to show support as a white athlete.”
Wednesday, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett asked for white players to help with their cause.
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