Malcolm Jenkins to stop protesting in wake of NFL's $89M commitment

Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins plans to stop protesting during the national anthem after the NFL's $89-million commitment over a seven-year period to social projects.

"I don't anticipate demonstrating this week simply because I felt like when I started demonstrating, my whole motivation was to draw awareness to disenfranchised people, communities of color, injustices around the country, our criminal justice system," Jenkins said Thursday, as transcribed by Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Jenkins, one of the leaders of the Players Coalition, has raised his fist during the national anthem throughout the season. He began the gesture early in the 2016 campaign.

The coalition struck an agreement with NFL owners Wednesday night that will see the league contribute around $89 million to organizations that deal with social issues that primarily affect African-American communities.

"I know a lot of people have kind of made a big deal about the money that the league has proposed, but I'm more concerned and more interested in the platform they're proposing," Jenkins added, according to Tim McManus of ESPN. "The reason I started raising my fist in the first place is to draw awareness to injustices in this country, disenfranchised people of color. I wanted to draw awareness."

Jenkins has ruffled the feathers of some other players in recent days, causing at least three to drop out of the coalition. San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid accused him of undercutting the group.