In Chicago, Malcolm Jenkins, Steven Means, Ron Brooks, and Marcus Smith II were the Eagles who raised their fists after a giant American flag was unfurled at Soldier Field. They should be proud of their willingness to take this stance, and all right-minded people around the league should be proud of their actions, too.Consider the following: Jenkins said he is the grandson of a Marine and Korean War veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart. Brooks said his girlfriend served in the Navy and is the daughter of a state trooper in Louisiana.
"Whenever you talk about race or just anything to do with social injustice," Jenkins said, "usually it's a hard conversation to have. ... A lot of arguments you hear is, 'Do it on your own time. Do it in a different way.' Well, the truth of the matter is, if you do it in a different way, that just allows you to ignore the issue."When you talk about real change, although a protest in itself doesn't change anything, it forces people to talk about it and it tugs on the social conscience of the citizens. So that's the biggest thing, how to get this topic in the minds of all those around the country and make them confront their own beliefs and thoughts and reasonings behind what they support and what they don't. And usually to do that, you have to disrupt something." Read complete ESPN article >>>
Malcolm Jenkins and other NFL players should be proud of protests
