“We’ve got guys, especially myself, who feel very strongly about the topic”, Jenkins said this week on 94WIP in Philadelphia.
Advertisement
On Monday, he and teammates Steven Means, Ron Brooks and Marcus Smith raised their fists during the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Soldier Field.
Kaepernick has since opted to take a knee during the playing of the national anthem out of respect for the United States military.
Several players from the Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans protested during the anthem on Sunday, while Megan Rapinoe has also knelt during the anthem at the US women’s soccer team games. Some players have sat, while others have kneeled, raised fists or locked arms.
“I know somebody kneeling or doing something is not what’s going to create change”, Jenkins said. “In fact, the police are a key part of the solution in this issue across the nation”.
Jenkins said Friday on Philadelphia’s WIP-FM he believes the protest can “continue to push forward the conversation about social injustice“, which he said covers everything from wages and job opportunities to education, as well as police brutality. But … we understand that people get upset, and that’s part of it. Eagles coach Doug Pederson said he had no problem with it.
“Malcolm is a class act all the way”, Pederson said. I think it’s actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated and the way that a lot of the media has covered it and made it about something that it absolutely isn’t. We are the role models for a lot of the African-American communities.
Jenkins said that respect led him to not protest during Week 1 of the National Football League season, which coincided with the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Advertisement
All players on the Eagles stood during the anthem. “So if somebody gets upset, then it’s probably because they’re not listening”.
