Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Politics/National
CultureNationalNewsSports

After Eagles Players Protest Anthem, One Person’s Racist Stance Leads to School Expulsion

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)
Eagles players Steven Means, Malcolm Jenkins and Ron Brooks protest the national anthem (Facebook)

Eagles players Steven Means, Malcolm Jenkins and Ron Brooks protest the national anthem (Facebook)

Malcolm Jenkins headed a protest with two of his Philadelphia Eagles teammates Monday night. Jenkins, Ron Brooks and Steven Means raised their fists as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played. The action followed a slew of other NFL protests spotlighting police brutality against African-Americans, and hateful tweets followed.

The display took place before the Eagles’ Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears in Illinois.

Ahead of the matchup, Jenkins told WIP about why the team planned to join the demonstration launched by Colin Kaepernick.

“Really, it’s just to continue to push for the conversation about social injustice,” he said. “And that’s a range of things from police brutality to wages and job opportunities to education.”

In an interview with PhillyVoice, Jenkins maintained he has “great respect for the police and military,” which is why he did not protest during the Sept. 11 game against the Cleveland Browns.

“If it comes down to making somebody uncomfortable by speaking the truth, then I’ll always make you uncomfortable with the truth, [rather] than make you feel comfortable with a lie,” he added.

His dedication to making “somebody uncomfortable” worked.

On Twitter, many expressed their dissatisfaction with the NFL safety and re-ignited claims for #BoycottNFL.

Rsherwin said he “loves” football but said he “will not watch [it] again” in favor of police and America.

Marc Gratkowski stood against Eagles’ Coach Doug Pederson’s support of the protest.

“If the Eagles don’t stand, I can’t support the Eagles anymore. Won’t watch, attend, buy merch,” Gratkowski wrote.

https://twitter.com/mgratk/status/777284460056313857

Parody account @DrunkCutler hoped the protest involved “driving their team bus into Lake Michigan.”

Andrew Lee called the Eagles’ protest an “absolute disgrace” after a gunman opened fire on two local officers – one a Black woman and the other a white Man – on Friday, according to Philly.com.

https://twitter.com/andy_lee63/status/777673660941365248

Meanwhile, an especially vile reaction emerged on Snapchat.

A freshman at Christian college Belmont University earned an expulsion because of the “comments rooted in racism,” according to the school’s Facebook page.

juswoodard97-belmont-student-racist

Still, Jenkins and the Eagles enjoyed support from at least one football fan.

One of those supporters included a Bears devotee.

“Proud of ’em,” wrote Jakobi Wiliams.

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top