For Malcolm Jenkins, “the fight continues.”
The Philadelphia Eagles defensive back spoke out against the NFL’s new national anthem policy on Twitter Wednesday afternoon, calling it a means for owners to “thwart the players’ constitutional rights to express themselves and use [their] platform to draw attention to social injustices.”
Jenkins’ Eagles teammate Chris Long also tweeted out his displeasure with the new policy, referring to it as a reaction to the “fear of a diminished bottom line.”
Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie issued a statement backing his players to fight for what they believe in.
[blockquote]“I have always believed it is the responsibility of sports teams to be very proactive in our communities. In this great country of ours, there are so many people who are hurting and marginalized, which is why I am proud of our players for continuously working to influence positive change. Their words and actions have demonstrated not only that they have a great deal of respect for our country, but also that they are committed to finding productive ways to fight social injustice, poverty and other societal issues that are important to all of us. We must continue to work together in creative and dynamic ways to make our communities stronger and better with equal opportunities for all.”[cite]- Eagles Chairman/CEO Jeffrey Lurie[/cite][/blockquote]
In a nutshell, the new anthem protest policy gives players the option to stand on the field during the anthem or stay in the locker room during the “Star-Spangled Banner.” The NFL will fine teams, not individual players, for violating these rules.
Adding further fuel to what is shaping up to be a controversial talking point in the lead-up to the new season, the NFLPA asserts that the league didn’t consult with the union in implementing this new policy.
Not all owners are on board with the NFL’s decision, despite commissioner Roger Goodell saying the change was approved unanimously by the owners. New York Jets owner Christopher Johnson told Newsday he won’t punish players for peacefully protesting the anthem and will gladly pay the league’s fine.
“I do not like imposing any club-specific rules,” Johnson said. “If somebody [on the Jets] takes a knee, that fine will be borne by the organization, by me, not the players. I never want to put restrictions on the speech of our players. Do I prefer that they stand? Of course. But I understand if they felt the need to protest. There are some big, complicated issues that we’re all struggling with, and our players are on the front lines. I don’t want to come down on them like a ton of bricks, and I won’t.
“There will be no club fines or suspensions or any sort of repercussions. If the team gets fined, that’s just something I’ll have to bear.”
San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York abstained from voting on the new policy. Colin Kaepernick, his team’s former quarterback, was the first NFL player to take a knee during the anthem, ushering in the wave of athlete activism and protest most notably seen across his league and the NBA since 2016.
“I want to work with my team to make sure everything we do is about promoting the right types of social justice reform and getting to a better America,” York told the Associated Press.
Jenkins and Long were among the first to publicly show their support for the movement Kaepernick started — with Jenkins raising his fist during the duration of the anthem. Based off Wednesday’s tweets, the pair will keep the still-out-of-work athlete-turned-activist’s fight going.
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