After seeing his hometown of Charlottesville battle racial tensions, Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long sprung into action by committing his first six NFL game checks to fund scholarships in Charlottesville. Now he is expanding his push to fund scholarships in the three other cities he has called home as a football player.
Long has announced he will donate his final ten paychecks this season to help fund scholarship efforts in Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Boston. Before playing with the Eagles, Long played for the Rams in St. Louis and for the New England Patriots.
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The Chris Long Foundation’s “Pledge 10 for Tomorrow” campaign was designed to encourage other NFL players to make similar donations and pledges. It is Long’s hope that others will look at how fortunate they are and have been to be where they are and follow his lead in this mission to help others continue their education.
“I’ve been lucky,” Long said, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I’ve made a lot of money in my career, so it’s not like I’m scrapping check to check. This isn’t a hero thing. It’s nothing like that. It’s honestly just that I want to put my money where my mouth is.”
Long has quickly become known as a leader in the community, and this is his latest way to help others in need with the resources he has available to him.
“In my 10th year, I want to celebrate the awesome opportunity I’ve had to play football by giving back to the communities that have given me that gift,” Long said in a statement. “Educational opportunity and equity are the best gateway to a better tomorrow for everyone in America.”
If nothing else comes out of this season, we are certainly seeing just how much good NFL players are doing in their communities.
