Chris Long is a class act. End of discussion. The Charlottesville, Virginia native, and son of NFL Hall of Famer, Howie Long, decided that it was time to put up or shut up in the wake of the Charlottesville riots.
Long has never been shy about voicing his opinion on the news of the day. Whenever he does speak, he always does so in a thoughtful and educated manner. In the video above, you hear Long say the word "violated" several times, and I think that is the perfect way to put it.
After the riots, Long pledged his first six game checks to provide scholarships for two students from Charlottesville. That's tens-of-thousands of dollars out of pocket to help provide a better education for deserving students.
Now that the he has already kept that pledge, he is now going to take it another step further...
Long has now pledged to donate the his last 10 game checks to help launch his Ledge 10 for Tomorrow Campaign. That will bring his total donation for the season to $1 million;his entire base salary.
"My wife and I have been ionate about education being a gateway for upward mobility and equality, I think we can all agree that equity in education can help affect change that we all want to see in this country." - Chris Long 6p5h2r
Long is a class act as person, a player, and a philanthropist. He has stated that he will never sit or kneel for the national anthem, but he completely respects the right for others to do so. He says that he couldn't possibly understand what it is like to be a black man in America. So when his new teammate Malcolm Jenkins stated that he was going to participate in the protest, Long offered him his in the simplest of gestures.
Chris Long, we salute you.