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Back in September, former UVA defensive standout and current Philadelphia Eagle, Chris Long announced he would be donating the first six paychecks of this NFL season to educational scholarships in his hometown of Charlottesville.
Long and the Chris Long Foundation partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of Central Virginia and St. Anne’s Belfield School for the scholarships that would provide two students with a an opportunity to complete their education.
Now, Chris is taking it even further by announcing his pledge to donate his remaining 10 paychecks for the season to “organizations supporting educational equity and opportunity in St. Louis, Boston and Philadelphia”.
Let's make a difference this season & ensure education is attainable for everyone. I made a pledge; it's your turn: https://t.co/yCKRaeYXT1
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) October 18, 2017
Long was drafted overall #2 by St. Louis in 2008 and played for the Rams until 2015. He played one season and won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2016, and is currently in his first season with the Eagles.
He is the first player to have donated an entire season salary.
“I'm playing the entire 2017 NFL season without collecting income because I believe that education is the best gateway to a better tomorrow for EVERYONE in America.” Long says on his pledge page. “I'm encouraging fans, businesses and every person with a desire to join in my pursuit of equal education opportunities for all students to make their own pledge. My goal is that through this campaign my donation will be doubled by those inspired to join the effort -- because together we can accomplish more.”
As of publish, over $7,000 has been pledged to the cause in just over an hour.
“I’ve been lucky, first off, been able to make a lot of money playing a game.” Long said on his decision to donate his full season’s income. “At the end of the day, this is my 10th year. you don’t know how much longer you’re going to have a platform to do something like that and for me to give my game checks...hopefully it rallies fans to work towards a match, businesses, influencers.”
You can see his full comments here:
Hear from @JOEL9ONE on his decision to donate all of his game checks for the 2017 season to support educational equality. pic.twitter.com/uh1GqiEoH0
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 18, 2017
Per his contract, Long is scheduled to make $1.85 million guaranteed with the Eagles this season.
Through the Chris Long Foundation, Long already supports clean water efforts with his Waterboys initiative, military veterans, and the homeless population in St. Louis.
If you’re interested in donating, you can do that here.