July 27, 2018
It’s a new season, but Malcolm Jenkins’ locker room media scrums are still can’t-miss viewing and listening.
On the second day of Eagles training camp, Jenkins was asked about plenty of things, including the most recent comments by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who on Wednesday doubled-down on his desire for players to stand for the national anthem:
Jerry Jones says he wouldn't support a player who elected to stay in the locker room during the anthem. "No, our policy is you stand for the anthem, toe on the line." #CowboysCamp
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) July 25, 2018
Jenkins has had no problem expressing his beliefs on the “stand vs. kneel” issue that’s taken the league by storm for the past two seasons, and after practice Friday he addressed Jones’s comments head-on:
Malcolm Jenkins calls Cowboys owner Jerry Jones a bully after Jones recently said he would make his players stand for the anthem. pic.twitter.com/noeHrLIlZZ
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) July 27, 2018
In case that video doesn't play, his comments:
"I don’t see [Eagles owner] Jeffrey [Lurie] as a bully, like Jerry Jones is. Lucky for me, I don’t play for the Cowboys, nor would I want to. It’s unfortunate that you have owners like him who use his position to intimidate and intentionally thwart even the idea of his players thinking individually, or having a voice about the issues that affect their communities daily. It’s unfortunate. For them, hopefully, you’ll have guys challenge that, and they’ll have my full support."
One more notable Jenkins comment:
Malcolm Jenkins: “The longer Jerry Jones wants to say stupid stuff...about how he wants to bully his players, great, you'll bring cameras to me & I’ll talk about how police brutality needs to end, how we need to end mass incarceration, & how we need to have better school systems”
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) July 27, 2018
This all follows a statement in May from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in which Goodell laid out the league's new policy on anthem demonstrations.
From May:
Teams will be fined if they do not "stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem." Players or other team personnel will have the option to remain off the field during the anthem and not be penalized.
Nearly two months ago, Jenkins held up signs in the team’s locker room telling both fans and the media, among other things, that they “aren’t listening” to what he’s saying, and what other football players who have chosen to kneel during the anthem are saying.
One thing’s abundantly clear: even with a Super Bowl ring in tow, Jenkins is still focused on the things that matter.
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