Eagles Players Arrive at State Capitol Hours After MNF Win to Push for Social Justice

“What are NFL players actually doing?” is the all too common retort from cynical and ill-informed people who oppose the players’ protests. Well, here’s what they’re doing. 

At 7:30 this morning, less than eight hours after beating Washington on Monday Night Football, Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Long and Torrey Smith took a two-hour train ride to the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg where they met with lawmakers to lobby for criminal justice reform. 

“I believe wholeheartedly in what I’m doing,” Jenkins told NBC Philadelphia.

Jenkins has been a strong advocate of the proposed Clean Slate Act, which would seal criminal records of people convicted of non-violent misdemeanors. He has been raising his fist during the national anthem since last season and Long began placing his arm on Jenkins’s shoulder this year. Long announced last week that he will donate his entire 2017 salary to fund educational initiatives.

The NFL announced last week that it intends to endorse a federal law that would reduce prison sentences for non-violent federal drug offenses.