WORTH REPEATING: You Aren’t Listening

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins gave a silent news conference today, speaking out about the White House lies, Trump, and why NFL players take a knee via a series of cue cards.

NEW YORK TIMES: The president labeled the Eagles as unpatriotic because they do not conform to his view of the national anthem. His press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, accused the team of pulling “a political stunt” because many players declined the White House invitation.

“The vast majority of the Eagles team decided to abandon their fans,” Ms. Sanders said.

Hardly. Since the start of the 2017 season, this group of young men has done nothing but embrace its fans, its community and oh, by the way, the Vince Lombardi trophy. Trust me, no one feels abandoned.

I’ve covered sports in Philadelphia for more than three decades. Never during that time have I seen a group of players more dedicated to one another and the city in which they play. Never have I witnessed a more fan-friendly team. For the record:

Safety Malcolm Jenkins, perhaps the most visible leader in the players’ protest against racial injustice, spends his off time riding along with police officers, visiting prisons and meeting with public defenders and lawmakers. He headed the players’ coalition that prodded owners last December to commit up to $89 million to help grass-roots organizations battle injustice.

Defensive end Chris Long, another respected voice in the locker room, donated his entire $1 million 2017 salary to charities funding scholarships and promoting educational equality. This came after he was appalled by the violent white nationalist protests last August in his hometown Charlottesville, Va.

Quarterback Carson Wentz, the 25-year-old future of this franchise, is opening a food truck (“The Kingdom Crumb”) distributing free meals around the Delaware Valley. He also visited Haiti recently and was so struck by the devastation that his faith-based foundation committed to building a sports complex there. Last week, he sponsored a softball game among teammates that drew 25,000 fans and pulled in $260,000 for the Haiti project. At the end of the night, Mr. Wentz announced he will match that sum — making the evening’s take $520,000. MORE