Chris Long and his Philadelphia Eagles have embraced the underdog mentality throughout the NFL Playoffs. It started when MVP candidate Carson Wentz went down with a torn ACL late in the regular season. It continued with offensive tackle Lane Johnson wearing this “Underdog” mask after the Eagles’ upset win over Atlanta in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.
The mask itself has taken on a whole new meaning, with schools in Philadelphia being on the receiving end of tremendous charity from the Eagles themselves (more on that here).
Now, preparing to take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, Long has a recommendation for the National Football League.
It started with the NFL’s Twitter account using Long and the Eagles to promo their new Super Bowl LII t-shirt.
Hey @JOEL9ONE, we think this shirt will go really well with your mask 😉
And if other @Eagles fans want this 🐶 shirt you can get it here https://t.co/pap41Zwlfj pic.twitter.com/E6EyKwPk2K
— Official NFL Shop (@OfficialNFLShop) January 22, 2018
At which point, Long was having none of it.
https://twitter.com/JOEL9ONE/status/955558701393502208
Indeed, the Eagles raised north of $150,000 by donating the proceeds of their t-shirt sales to schools in the Philadelphia area.
Instead of the NFL profiting off this newfound trend, maybe the league should take a page from the Eagles’ playbook. After all, it’s rather filled with charity.
Long himself donated his entire 2017 salary to charity after the terrorist attack in Charlottesville killed an innocent civilian back in August of last year.
This would definitely be a nice show of community involvement from the NFL. But, sadly, we’re not holding our breath here.