As hundreds of players rallied together this past Sunday, some locking arms, some protesting, some not even taken the field, mainly due to President Trump’s past comments at an Alabama rally, where Trump told NFL owners to fire players who protest during the national anthem.
It’s dialogue like that Jenkins wants to address. It was very important to Jenkins that Lurie joined the team on the field Sunday.
“This was a rallying point for people to get involved,” Jenkins said. “I think it was very important that Mr. Lurie was a part of this. I think it sends a message to players, to the fan base and anybody watching that these demonstrations of players standing up for communities aren’t looked at in a bad way that we’ve been depicted.
“Our teammates don’t feel that way. Our coaches don’t feel that way and the individual owners of these teams don’t feel that way about us. It’s time those people stand up and at least show support to the demonstration. We’ve been so caught up the last year of what’s right and what’s wrong and spend very little time talking about the issues. The unique role the NFL can play is drawing attention to those causes and changing the rhetoric into something positive and productive.”
Source: Philly Voice
Laurie’s Statement:
The best of us lend our compassion and determination to the aid of others.
Every day I see the genuine dedication and hard work of our players. And I support them as they take their courage, character, and commitment into our communities to make them better or to call attention to injustice. Having spoken with our players, I can attest to the great respect they have for our national anthem and all it represents. We at the Philadelphia Eagles firmly believe that in this difficult time of division and conflict, it is more important than ever for football to be a great unifier.
Eagles Safety Malcolm Jenkins & Owner Jeffrey Laurie Speak On President Trump’s Comments was originally published on boomphilly.com
