Four Eagles raise fist during national anthem

Four members of the Philadelphia Eagles stood with a fist raised during the national anthem prior to “Monday Night Football” as a symbol of support for Colin Kaepernick’s protest.

The demonstration was led by Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, who said in an interview on Friday that he was planning to do something during the anthem. Teammates Steven Means and Ron Brooks also joined in with their fists raised, as did Marcus Smith, who was not shown on TV.

As ESPN’s Lisa Salters said before the game, Jenkins told her their objective in raising their fists was to raise awareness for racial injustice issues in the country. Jenkins told her the gesture is about the tough conversations that need to happen to bring social change.

Jenkins said Friday that some players were considering a protest in Week 1 but decided against it out of respect for the commemoration of the 9/11 tragedy.