Chris Long talked the talk. Now he's walking the walk.
The Eagles defensive end is donating his first six game checks of the 2017 season to fund two scholarships in his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia.
In August, Long spoke out about the violent protests in Charlottesville (see story). At that time, he thought the majority of the original protesters, protesting the removal of a Confederate statue, were from out of town. He thought his neighbors were the ones trying to stop them. He also took umbrage to President Donald Trump's response, which condemned "violence on many sides."
Now, Long is doing more than just speaking out. Based on his $1 million base salary in 2017, six games checks will amount to roughly $375,000.
"In August, we watched people fill our hometown streets with hatred and bigotry," Long said in a release. "Megan (his wife) and I decided to try to combat those actions with our own positive investment in our community."
According to the release, the scholarships will be administered by Long's alma mater, St. Anne's-Belfield School. Two members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia will be given the seven-year scholarships to go a Virginia school. The two scholarships will go to students entering sixth grade and will provide them with tuition through high school graduation.
The Longs have actually been sponsoring a student who will graduate this spring from St. Anne's-Belfield, the release said. They have been paying for the student's tuition for the past six years. But now, Long wants to make a more public statement.
Sports
In partnership with NBC Sports Philadelphia
"We want these scholarships to be reflective of what the 'Cville' community is really about -- supporting one another, social equality and building up those in our community who need it," Long said. "We hope our investment will change the lives of the students who receive the scholarship and in turn, those students can positively impact others."
