Eagles Malcolm Jenkins Continues Anthem Protest Without Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick may have ended his national anthem protest, however, one of his followers is continuing the effort.

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins continued with his practice of raising a fist in protest during the playing of the national anthem, as the Eagles prepared to meet the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, ESPN reported.

Jenkins said in a statement that he would continue his protest this season, “Last season, I raised my fist as a sign of solidarity to support people, especially people of color, who were and are still unjustly losing their lives at the hands of officers with little to no consequence. After spending time with police officers on ride-alongs, meeting with politicians on the state and federal level and grass roots organizations fighting for human rights, it’s clear that our criminal justice system is still crippling communities of color through mass incarceration.”

Jenkins went on to decry that there hasn’t been enough done to stop the “disproportionate oppression of poor communities and communities of color” and called for “criminal justice reform.”

The Super Bowl 44 champ also denounced the “blowback against those who stand up for what is right” and said he intended to continue his protests to “send a message that we will not easily be moved or deterred from fighting for justice.”

Jenkins, no stranger to political pronouncements, applauded Colin Kaepernick’s protests last season, calling the move an act of “genius.”

“I think Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel or take a seat or to protest the national anthem was genius and worked better than I think he even probably assumed at first,” Jenkins said last month.

While the protests may not have worked so well for Kaepernick’s now stalled NFL career, Jenkins went on to note that the protests “worked” because a year later we are still talking about the effort.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.