Chris Long has earned admiration in the highest of places.
Former United States president Barack Obama included the Philadelphia Eagles defensive end on his list of “what’s best about America” in 2017. Long has donated all 16 of his game checks this season to fund scholarships and support other charities, and Obama referenced the 32-year-old Friday in a year-end message to his Twitter followers.
As we count down to the new year, we get to reflect and prepare for what’s ahead. For all the bad news that seemed to dominate our collective consciousness, there are countless stories from this year that remind us what's best about America.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2017
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
Long said Friday after Eagles practice he’s honored to be on Obama’s list.
“At the end of the day that’s an honor that it would even fly across one of our former President’s radar,” Long said Friday, per NJ.com’s Matt Lombardo. “That’s the whole point of trying to do good things in the community, spreading positivity. It’s an honor to be mentioned.
“That’s somebody I have a lot of respect for, just the class that he carried himself with as the face of our nation. You don’t have to agree with every single thing politically all the time, which is something we’ve kind of gotten into doing lately as a country … Politicizing everything. I have a great deal of respect for him as a President, as a man, and a family man. To see him pick that up on his radar, that was pretty cool for me.”
Well done, Chris Long.
