Former President Barack Obama Praises Eagles' Chris Long for His Donations

The Eagles' defensive end gave up his first six game checks to provide two scholarships for students in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Former President Barack Obama added the Eagles' Chris Long to his list of some of the best stories about Americans even as the headlines seem to be all bad news.

Obama shared stories about a 10-year-old boy in Chicago and a couple turning their postponed wedding into a Hurricane Harvey relief opportunity. He also shared Long's story. 

The Eagles' defensive end gave up his first six game checks to provide two scholarships for students in Charlottesville, Virginia. He then donated the rest of his year's salary to increase educational equality, launching the Pledge 10 for Tomorrow campaign. The charitable initiative encourages people to make donations to improve equal education opportunities. 

As we count down to the new year, we get to reflect and prepare for what’s ahead. For all the bad news that seemed to dominate our collective consciousness, there are countless stories from this year that remind us what's best about America.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2017

Chris Long gave his paychecks from the first six games of the NFL season to fund scholarships in Charlottesville, VA. He wanted to do more, so he decided to give away an entire season’s salary. That’s a story from 2017. https://t.co/NL0RoARkan

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2017

Long said he was honored the story reached Obama's radar, and the whole purpose of what he was trying to do was spreading positivity, according to NJ Media. He added that he has a lot of respect for the way Obama carried himself in office. 

Long grew up in Charlottesville. He was moved to start the scholarship program following the violent protests in Charlottesville in August.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.