Nick Piccone
One arm.
That’s all it took. Just one arm.
Chris Long completely changed the national narrative on NFL players protesting the national anthem on Thursday night. During the second Eagles’ preseason game of the season, the first one at The Linc, Long wanted to make a statement of his own. After talking with his teammate Malcolm Jenkins, who’s been raising his arm in the air during the national anthem since the beginning of last season, Long was the first white professional football player to join a teammate in showing solidarity for social injustice.
Now, is part of the reason Long wanted to show this solidarity due to what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend? Sure, probably. But Long has been outspoken on what’s been happening the last few months, and instead of just talking the talk, on Thursday night, he walked the walk. This may be something Long has long thought of doing, so at first, I wasn’t surprised to see him put his arm around Jenkins during the national anthem Thursday night. In fact, I almost expected it given how outspoken he’s been. But seeing it, with my own eyes, gave me goosebumps, and still does even as I’m typing this.
This is what was needed. And this is just the beginning. Here’s what Long said after the game:
“I’ve heard a lot of people say you need white athletes to get involved in the anthem protests. I’ve said before I’ll never kneel for an anthem, because the flag means something different for everybody in this country, but I support my peers. And if you don’t see why you need allies for people that are fighting for equality right now, I don’t think you’ll ever see it. So my thing is, Malcolm is a leader, and I’m here to show support as a white athlete.”
There are many people who come to sporting events to get away from the mundane routine of their everyday lives. It’s an opportunity to “get away.” Hell, I’m one of them that enjoys just “getting away.” However, when we see what’s happening in the world and try to use sports to shield us from that reality of Neo-Nazism and white supremacy, which is now becoming more and more vocal with the advent of social media.
With Jenkins’ blessing, Long put his arm around him, as if to say, “We’re here for you and your cause.” And that’s all we as people need to do. Whether you’re white, African-American, Mexican, Canadian, Irish, Italian, Russian, it doesn’t matter. We need to be there for each other.
I will never know how an African-American feels inside. I don’t have to know everything about their struggles to recognize how it affects them. All I can do is listen to them and support them. And that’s important. I will never tell someone of a different color how to feel, or what they should feel. That’s not an option. And if someone thinks that is an option, then they’re wrong. Simple as that.
That’s the message Long wants to spread. Just be there for your brothers who just want equality. There may be laws in place that suggest equality exists, but there are many instances of people that still live in the distant past. That’s what needs to be changed. Because if equality really did exist, there’d be no fight for it.
I recognize each person has their own opinion of what we all should do during the national anthem. Clearly, so does Chris Long. But the simple act of putting his arm around his teammate, his friend, his brother, may have sent a message that we all needed to hear.
I stand with you, Malcolm. I stand with you, Chris. And I think if you allow their fight to dictate whether you watch a football game or not, then you clearly don’t stand with them.
You can follow Nick Piccone on Twitter (@nickpiccone) and e-mail him at [email protected]. Subscribe to his podcast on iTunes here or listen on WildfireRadio.com. Click here to read his pro wrestling articles on PhillyVoice. Follow Philly Influencer on Twitter (@PHL_Influencer), Facebook and Instagram.