Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long has been known to use his platform for social change. Now he’s using part of his salary, too.
The 10-year NFL veteran announced Tuesday that he will be donating the first six game checks of the 2017 NFL season to fund two scholarships in his hometown of Charlottesville, VA.
The Chris Long Scholarships, supported by Long and his wife, Megan, will be set up and administered by St. Anne’s-Belfield School, which is Long’s alma mater, and widely considered one of the finest institutions in Virgina.
The scholarships will be given to two members from the Boys & Girls Club of Central Virginia, so they can receive a seven-year, all expenses paid education in an environment that offers rich learning experiences and “equality through education.”
The Long’s desire to give back stems from the despicable events that occurred in Charlottesville this summer when white nationalists, neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members used violence against counterprotesters, and when a 32-year-old woman was killed after being struck by a car that plowed through a crowd.
“In August, we watched people fill our hometown streets with hatred and bigotry,” Long said in a statement. “Megan and I decided to try to combat those actions with our own positive investment in our community.
“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,” he added. “We hope our investment will change the lives of the students who receive the scholarship and in turn, those students can positively impact others.”
Long is no stranger to giving back to his community and beyond. Through the Chris Long Foundation, he’s done things like hosted a holiday dinner for military families, spend nights on the streets in St. Louis to raise money for the homeless and create the Waterboys initiative, which builds life-sustaining water wells to East African communities.
Check our #32For32 initiative: $32 in honor of the 32 #NFL teams can help provide water to more than 100K people!https://t.co/wYcoVnUT8N pic.twitter.com/uaYM9MFBWg
— Waterboys.org (@WaterboysORG) September 8, 2017
While Long loves the sport he plays, it’s easy to tell that he sees the bigger picture — a world that desperately needs some compassionate attention.