Our Long Cox photo ops have given way to a Long Jenkins one, and that’s probably a good thing for all humanity.

Chris Long:

“I just told Malcolm, ‘I’m here for you,’” Long said afterward. “I think it’s a good time for people that look like me to be here for people that are fighting for equality.”

…

“It’s been a hard week for everybody,” Long said. “I think it’s not just a hard week for someone being from Charlottesville. It’s a tough week for America. I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘You need white athletes to get involved in the anthem protest.’ I’ve said before that I’ll never kneel for an anthem because the flag means something different to everybody in this country, but I support my peers.

“And if you don’t see why you need allies for people that are fighting for equality right now, I don’t think you’ll ever see it. My thing is Malcolm’s a leader and I’m here to show support as a white athlete.”

People will undoubtedly find something wrong with this, though I think the vast majority of instant reaction, with which I agree, is that putting your arm around a teammate making a respectful statement to show him that you got his back is just about the most leaderly thing one can do. Is Long a bit of an opportunist? Yeah, it seems like it. But that doesn’t change the fact that this was a solid gesture during a time when, quite frankly, the country needs a solid gesture.

Long is the first white guy to stand up for a black teammate in his National Anthem protest (or stance or whatever). I don’t think it deserves – or needs – any more analysis than that: a show of solidarity with a teammate. Well done.