Chris Long, the Eagles defensive end, will donate his entire salary this season to charity.
Long announced this week that he would send his last 10 game checks to educational charities in the three cities where he has played, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Boston. This season he said his first six checks would go to to scholarships at a private school in his hometown, Charlottesville, Va.
Long, 32, is to make a base salary of $1 million this season.
“I’m playing the entire 2017 N.F.L. season without collecting income because I believe that education is the best gateway to a better tomorrow for everyone in America,” Long said in a statement.
He told The Associated Press on Wednesday, “I think we can all agree that equity in education can help affect change that we all want to see in this country.”
Long, the son of the Hall of Famer and broadcaster Howie Long, has been involved in charity and activism for some time. He started a foundation two years ago that supports causes including assuring access to clean water worldwide, fighting homelessness, supporting veterans and helping children in need.
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
Long, who is white, drew attention this season for putting his arm around his black teammate Malcolm Jenkins, who raised his fist during the national anthem to protest discrimination and police brutality.
DieOnYourFeat on October 20th, 2017 at 12:35 UTC »
OK, never liked Chris Long. Will admire him for the rest of my life.
trillsausage on October 20th, 2017 at 12:09 UTC »
supabowl 52 champs,
callin it
TheCrimsonTerror on October 20th, 2017 at 10:16 UTC »
A man truly putting his money where his mouth is. Howie raised a good one.