These Eagles Players Protest National Anthem By Holding Up Their Fists

Safety Malcolm Jenkins and other Philadelphia Eagles players continued what Colin Kaepernick started.

The Eagles players held up their fists during the national anthem before their game against the Chicago Bears. The move was a symbolic gesture – a silent act of protest against social injustice within America.

But Jenkins made it clear his protest wasn’t against the police or the military, and even chose not to protest before the season opener last week out of respect for 9/11 – a move not mirrored by the Dolphins, who took a knee as the national anthem rang out that day.

“I was very clear: It’s not an anti-police thing,” Jenkins said after practice Saturday. “In fact, the police are a key part of the solution in this issue. It has nothing to do with the military, nothing to do with the flag itself. If you listen, the message has been the same across the board. The police are a key part of the solution, in this issue, across the nation.”

Many have taken a stance on these protests one way or another, and while many find them distasteful, Jenkins reasons that change isn’t supposed to be comfortable.

“Whenever you’re trying to change something, there’s no comfortable way to change it,” Jenkins said. “If somebody gets upset, it’s probably because they’re not listening.”

[ H/T ABC ]