There's a good reason Eagles' Chris Long played for free this season

"It was really hard to watch," Long said Monday, Jan. 29, at Super Bowl Opening Night before quickly shifting the dialogue. "But I'm not going to sit here and say, 'Oh, man. That was so hard for me because I'm from Charlottesville.' That ugly sort of stuff is a reality that affects a lot of people on a daily basis."

Days after the events in his hometown, Long, 32, took his first social stand, a subtle gesture during the national anthem before the Eagles played the Buffalo Bills in a preseason game. He placed his left arm on the back of teammate Malcolm Jenkins, who had raised his fist in protest of racial injustice.

"I just told Malcolm, 'I'm here for you,' " Long told reporters after the game. "I think it's a good time for people that look like me to be here for people that are fighting for equality."

Jenkins recognized that as a moment that helped spread the word about the movement.

"He wanted to support in a way that was natural to him," Jenkins said. "All it took was him putting his arm around me. That message was huge for a lot of people watching to say, 'OK. I can support in a way that I believe in. We don't have to agree on everything. We can work together.' "

Long wasn't finished. He put his money where his mouth was in September by pledging six game checks from his $1 million salary for 2017 to fund two scholarships in Charlottesville.

He followed that in October by announcing a plan to donate game checks for the rest of the season to help improve educational equality by launching Pledge 10 For Tomorrow, a campaign that has since raised more than $1.3 million.

"I was, like, 'I've got to be the walk-the-walk guy,' " Long said. "We have an opportunity as athletes where we can double our investment toward a cause because of the fans. ... Because of the power of our platform, (my investment) was able to double."

Long, a 10-year veteran who played at the University of Virginia, is the first to admit some of the causes he champions haven't affected him personally. He is the son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, and his family wasn't pinching pennies when he was growing up.

"That's the point," Long said. "I had every opportunity growing up. Why wouldn't I want other people to have that opportunity?"

"All of the things that Chris is talking about and fighting for doesn't even affect him and won't affect his kids," Jenkins said. "He's not doing it because it saves money on his taxes. He's not doing it because he feels pressure to get involved. He sees something that's wrong and wants to help. My hat's been off to him ever since."

Long made it clear he believes the United States is the best country in the world. But he understands the counterpoint.

"I can perfectly accept that I might love America and some of my teammates might have looked at America through a different lens their whole life," Long said. "Why is it so hard (to understand)? Let's figure it out."

As Long continued to talk openly about social issues during Super Bowl Opening Night, a larger crowd of reporters formed around him. He answered every question thrown his way.

"Do I want to be sitting here talking about all this stuff when there's a game on Sunday?" Long said. "No, I don't. I also don't want to cop out and be like, 'OK. Let's talk football.'

"If I think something is wrong, I have a really hard time holding my opinion in," he said. "I'd rather people get to know who I am really than not be me. It would eat me up inside if there was a situation where I felt like I needed to speak out and I didn't. I'd rather stand for what I stand for and let the chips fall where they may."