Eagles' Long wanted to support Jenkins 'as a white athlete'

A day after Michael Bennett said a white player joining the anthem protests could spark change, Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long embraced teammate Malcolm Jenkins during the anthem Thursday.

Long didn't take a knee, but put his arm around Jenkins as the safety raised his fist in the air, something Long wanted to do as a white athlete.

"If you don’t see why you need allies for people that are fighting for equality right now, I don’t think you’ll ever see it," Long said after the game, according to Tim McManus of ESPN. "So my thing is, Malcolm is a leader and I’m here to show support as a white athlete."

This was Long's first statement during the anthem, but he was vocal recently after the riots in his hometown of Charlottesville, Va.

Long spoke out against the events last weekend, where a woman who was involved in a counter-protest was killed after being struck by a vehicle.

Jenkins was obviously moved by Long's gesture, speaking to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News:

He kind of pulled me aside and said that he wanted to do something in support of me ... I asked him just a couple of questions, really the main thing was what message was he trying to get across, and that message was that more white men should feel the need, especially after what's recently transpired in Charlottesville, but even before that, that more white males should take the position of an ally, in support. Not somebody who's trying to undermine or take over or draw attention to themselves, which is why I don't think he did exactly what I was doing.