Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins stayed in the tunnel Thursday night instead of raising his fist as he had done for parts of the past two seasons. On Friday, he explained why.
“I want the conversation to be about the issues, not about the anthem and whether it’s the right time or wrong time,” Jenkins said, via John Clark of Philadelphia’s NBC10. “There’s a lot of work being done. I want that to be the focus.”
Defensive back De’Vante Bausby, who also raised a fist last week, stood alongside Jenkins in the tunnel. Defensive end Michael Bennett remained in the locker room during the anthem Thursday, per Clark.
Jenkins wore a pregame T-shirt that read: “You Aren’t Listening.”
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said during training camp that the anthem is not the right time and stadiums not the right place for protests about social injustice and police brutality. He instead asked for attention to be focused on players’ actions in their communities as they seek to find solutions.