Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins calls President Donald Trump a troll

Erik Brady | USA TODAY

Malcolm Jenkins, the Philadelphia Eagles safety and political activist, offers this reaction to President Trump’s suggestion last fall that NFL owners should fire players who protest during the national anthem.

“It was like any other troll,” Jenkins tells The Atlantic in its May issue. He is cofounder of the Players Coalition, which fights injustice that disproportionately affects African Americans.

Other highlights in The Radicalization of American Football:

On Trump’s criticisms: “It wasn't the first time he said something crazy. I didn't take it too personally, because I had already dealt with plenty of backlash on social media. I think what you saw was locker rooms getting upset and getting behind their teammates.”

On policing issues as he remembers them from childhood: “I remember my dad always complaining about getting pulled over. I remember the differences in school systems. I remember seeing police officers, not knowing their names, and knowing that they were there not to protect us, not to serve us, but to watch us. Now, as an adult, I’m seeing the symptoms of a bigger problem.”

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On sponsors shunning him: “I'm a Pro Bowl player, just won the Super Bowl. I should be able to get almost any endorsement that I want, but oftentimes we get to the table and someone says, ‘We don't want to use him, because of all the things that are going on, maybe at a later time when it's died down.’ I've heard that a lot. … All of that was to be understood when I stepped into this realm. To me, that’s worth it.”

On Colin Kaepernick: “What Colin has had to go through is just not right. Whether he can prove it or not, everyone understands that his stance is the reason he doesn’t have a job.”

On arranging a meeting among NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia’s police commissioner and public defenders: “They wanted to know how they could support us and how we could work together. So we said, ‘Come see why we’re protesting; come see why we’re making all this noise.’ We said, ‘We’re not looking for permission to do anything. We’ve already been doing this on our own. But if you want to understand what we’re trying to get accomplished, we invite you to see for yourself firsthand.’ ”