Philadelphia Eagles DE Chris Long gets high praise from Barack Obama
As fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, most of us learned that Chris Long was a pretty special player and person, but there’s nothing like being recognized by a former commander in chief.
Here’s something you may or may not have heard about. If not, it’s definitely worth a mention. Just four days after being one of the difference makers in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ 19-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football, Philly’s defensive tackle, Chris Long, was given some high praise from the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.
As a new year approaches and we move on from another season of giving, most people have one or two things on their minds, if not both. One, this is a time to ensure someone else has a reason to smile. Second, what happened throughout the course of the last 12 calendar months that can be moved on from or improved upon as we move into another January?
Then, there are guys like Long, who do all they can to create Christmas for someone else whether it’s on December 25th or in the middle of August.
President Barack Obama may become an Eagles fan yet.
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See, for Long, it’s not about a holiday. Giving back is in his nature, and it’s not something he does. It’s who he is. Back in the 1980s, he appeared as an infant in an anti-underage drinking public service announcement with his parents, one of which is NFL Hall of Fame inductee Howie Long. Then, there’s the Chris Long foundation that he launched In May of 2015.
That was followed by his decision to donate his first six game checks to fund scholarships for students from the Charlottesville, Virginia area. Then, he took it a step further when he decided he would donate the remainder of his 2017 salary. It’s a gesture that caught the attention of quite a few, including President Barack Obama.
Take a look.
Chris Long gave his paychecks from the first six games of the NFL season to fund scholarships in Charlottesville, VA. He wanted to do more, so he decided to give away an entire season’s salary. That’s a story from 2017. https://t.co/NL0RoARkan
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2017
It didn’t take long for Long to respond.
https://twitter.com/JOEL9ONE/status/946814272838959114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Fbarack-obama-says-eagles-de-chris-long-example-whats-best-america-190441747.html
During Monday Night Football‘s final broadcast of the season, Jon Gruden said ‘he’s basically playing the game for nothing’. That’s not really true though. Long plays the game for a higher purpose. He plays the game for something that means more to him than money does.
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Some can understand that. Others never will. Regardless of what side you’re on, one thing’s certain. Guys like Long make it easy to be an Eagles fan.