The Eagles Speak Out Against Racism
For years the Philadelphia Eagles have had a tight-knit group of players who are not afraid to speak their minds when it comes to social issues.
Amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic and the death of George Floyd, players across the NFL are starting to show their true colors.
As an organization, the Philadelphia Eagles have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to taking a stand against social injustice and inequality.
Former Eagle Malcolm Jenkins and current player Rodney McLeod were usually spotted with their fists in the air during the National Anthem as a peaceful way of protesting, in hopes of spreading awareness to police brutality and racial inequality. Chris Long typically stood beside the two in support as well.
These protests never intended to disrespect the American Flag…
Recently, numerous members of the Eagles have weighed in on the tragedy of George Floyd.
The first and maybe most notable in included Carson Wentz, and a joint statement from Zach & Julie Ertz.
It is nice to see Non-African American athletes use their platforms to help promote awareness of issues that their teammates have been suffering with for centuries. It shows that these issues are bigger than them and that they are willing to help contribute to the cause by any means necessary.
The majority of Philadelphia Eagles players also weighed in via social media expressing their thoughts and awareness of the situation. Former Eagle Malcolm Jenkins was seen protesting in the streets of Philadelphia earlier in the week. Jenkins also filmed a video in response to Drew Brees’s stance of protesting… but the footage has been deleted.
No matter what, Jenkins is always going to stand up for what he believes in.
Eagles Insider Tim McManus went on to report that team owner Jeffrey Lurie broke his silence by addressing his squad via virtual meeting and listened to his players’ experiences and emotions on the matter. Lurie went on to say that the players on his team are thought of as an “extended family, and that family deals with things together” After Lurie’s intro piece, he opened the floor to his family and listened to the “powerful dialogue” spoken from the players.
Team captain Brandon Graham was featured on NBC Philadelphia’s show Quick Slants, where he also gave his perspective on everything that has been happening in the world. Graham went on to say:
“It just makes me want to use my platform help first off… and then second off, me having two kids now (girl & boy) that are minority, the stuff we have to talk to them about is not fair, and y’know, all we asking is to be heard. Y’know, there has to be a bigger penalty because this is not getting it done. The system in place is not working because people on camera are doing things (y’know just get off his neck man, he said he can’t breath), I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”
“Right now for me, I just want to help and do stuff behind the scenes, actually put the foot forward and work and not just post about it because next thing you know we forget about it…”
Graham also went on to shout out other Philly players who have used their plight in a positive manner, including the likes of the Wentz and Ertz. BG even includes that the team had a heartfelt conversation on Zoom earlier in the week, where coaches allowed players to express their emotions during this tough time.
Graham additionally mentions DeSean Jackson’s experiences and input on racism in America.
The full conversation between Derick Gunn, Bucky Brooks, and Brandon Graham will be featured below.
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