During the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl parade, center Jason Kelce declared in a speech that will go down in Philadelphia sports folklore: “No one likes us — we don’t care.” Apparently President Trump got the memo, as he disinvited the Super Bowl champs from a White House celebration of their historic accomplishment.
Trump argued the Eagles “disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country.” But this logic is patently untrue — no Eagles players knelt for the anthem during the regular season or their run to the Super Bowl. Even Fox News issued a clarification, after showing video of Eagles players kneeling in prayer during warm-ups, seemingly implying that they were kneeling for the anthem. “To clarify, no players knelt in protest during regular or post-season,” said Christopher Wallace, executive producer of “Fox News @ Night with Shannon Bream.”
In an attempt to raise awareness about criminal justice reform, safety Malcolm Jenkins stood and raised his fist with his helmet off during the anthem for much of the season. That was it. As a matter of fact, this team was a prime example of principled activism and community service.
Take Jenkins, for example. An outspoken proponent of criminal justice reform, the ninth-year pro has met with lawmakers on several occasions to discuss how to improve race relations between communities of color and local police departments. Additionally, he has held meetings with Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross and conducted ride-alongs with Philly police.
Jenkins has also taken it upon himself to help these communities. In 2016 alone, the Malcolm Jenkins Foundation launched “a new educational program in Philadelphia; celebrat[ed] the first college cohort of Malcolm Jenkins Scholars in Louisiana; assist[ed] 1,200 families with food and essential resources in Ohio and mentor[ed] 425 youth through the 6th annual Next Level Youth Football Camp in New Jersey among other events and programs throughout the year.”
And it doesn’t stop with Jenkins. Just a few hours after defeating the Minnesota Vikings in October of last year, defensive end Chris Long and wide receiver Torrey Smith (no longer with the team) accompanied Jenkins on a trip to the Pennsylvania State Legislature. The trio went to show their support for the Clean Slate Act, which would allow Pennsylvanians with certain nonviolent misdemeanors to have their records cleared after a set amount of time crime-free. That legislation has since passed the state House and is awaiting action in the Senate. Gov. Tom Wolf has voiced support for the bill.
If Trump thinks the Eagles aren’t concerned with the police side of police-community relations, he’s wrong again. Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox donated $100,000 to the Philadelphia Police Foundation to help with the purchase of equipment not covered by the city.
The Eagles’ charitable scope reaches well beyond politics, too. On top of fighting for criminal justice reform, Long donated his entire 2017 salary to charity, in the wake of the tragedy in Charlottesville, Va., last August. Quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Nick Foles, and tight end Zach Ertz, are all devout Christians who either run their own charities or donate hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Other players, including running back Wendall Smallwood, safety Rodney McLeod, tight end Trey Burton, wide receiver Nelson Agholor, and defensive lineman Vinny Curry are all active in charity.
At the end of the day, the Eagles did all of their activism in exactly the right way. Trump is foolish to punish them and the fans who wanted to attend this event.
Dan King (@kinger_liberty) is a Young Voices Advocate, journalist, and digital communications professional based in Arlington, Va.
