Philadelphia Eagles roundup: Chris Long’s new initiative, Fletcher Cox’s donation

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 09: Chris Long #56, Fletcher Cox #91, and Michael Bennett #77 of the Philadelphia Eagles react in the first quarter of the preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field on August 9, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Eagles 31-14. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 09: Chris Long #56, Fletcher Cox #91, and Michael Bennett #77 of the Philadelphia Eagles react in the first quarter of the preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field on August 9, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Eagles 31-14. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Two of the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive linemen, Fletcher Cox and Chris Long, are difference makers both on the field and off of it.

There isn’t much else that Fletcher Cox or Chris Long can do to solidify themselves as two of the best people in the NFL. No, that isn’t correct. These two have done it again. It’s guys like Cox and Long that make it easy to cheer for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Keeping up with their good deeds is a task that’s increasingly becoming harder to do. Now, they’re teamwork on the field has filtered over into their personal lives as these two have, once again, found a way to make a difference in the lives of others.

Let’s start with young.

Finding any professional athlete who’s willing to donate his entire salary to charity is almost impossible. Well, we thought it was impossible until Long did exactly that in 2017. Now, here we are a year later, and this time, Long’s decided to make another major donation.

He’s pledged to give up almost a quarter of his 2018 salary in an attempt to increase early literacy among young children through his Chris Long Foundation. That money will be used to support Philadelphia’s Read by 4th campaign through the First Quarter for Literacy drive.

Check this out:

Fletcher Cox steps up to help support a teammate’s vision.

Fletcher Cox isn’t just one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league. He’s one of the best teammates in the the league. One of the things that makes this Eagles team special is their genuine love for one another.

They aren’t coworkers. They’re a family, so when Cox saw his brother make another bold statement, he made one of his own. On Friday, Cox announced via social media that he’d be joining Long’s foundation and providing $10,000 to provide books in his home state of Mississippi.

Here’s that tweet:

Also joining Long and Cox are former Eagles defensive tackle Beau Allen, who’s pledged $5,000, and Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth, who’s pledged $20,000.

What else needs to be said? That’s a phenomenal job by two phenomenal football players who are actually even better people. Hats off to both of them.