3 Eagles visit state capitol to lobby for criminal justice reform

Three Eagles players, just hours after defeating Washington during Monday Night Football, headed to the state capitol to lobby for criminal justice reform.

Safety Malcolm Jenkins, who's been raising his fist during the national anthem, along with wide receiver Torrey Smith and defensive end Chris Long reportedly took a two-hour train ride around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday to meet with legislators and advocates in Harrisburg, Pa.

For those who ask what are protesters doing besides kneeling, this is some of it.

"It takes a lot of sacrifice but the ball has been rolled and that's a good thing," Jenkins told NBC Philadelphia. "We've seen other guys getting involved in their communities, other teams, other players. And, a lot of that comes from leading by example."

The trio is part of The Players Coalition, which looks to improve the relationship between police officers and the community. Jenkins began raising his fist during "The Star-Spangeled Banner" in Week 2 of last season to raise awareness for racial injustice, while Long started to put his arm around him during this preseason.

Related: See photos from Monday night's game:

Jenkins and Long were among those who met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and a select group of team owners last week about the protests. Afterward, Jenkins reportedly said he wanted to focus on advocating for criminal justice reform rather than fight over the national anthem. President Donald Trump has already taken many swipes at the NFL and its players for kneeling or raising their fists.

“I believe wholeheartedly in what I’m doing,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins told PennLive.com that he plans to discuss ending the money-bail system and push for the "Clean Slate Act" on Tuesday. The bill would mandate that criminal records for non-violent offenders would automatically be sealed within two months of being eligible.

"Here in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, we're the incarceration capital right now," Jenkins said last month. "[The Clean Slate Act] is not the entire solution, but it's a step in the right direction that would wipe people's criminal records clean after a period of 10 years, and we've been able to kind of support that and draw attention to that.

"The significance of it is the amount of discrimination that you face as somebody who has an arrest record or any kind of criminal record: You lose housing, you lose financial aid, loans for education — all of these different things."

This season, Long announced he's going to put his money where his mouth is — the Eagle says he's going to donate his final 10 game checks to support education equity initiatives. His first six game checks were used to fund scholarships in his hometown of Charlotttesville, Va.

See more from Long and his NFL family:

"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 had written in a statement on PledgeIt.org.

The Eagles (6-1) face the Niners (0-7) at home on Sunday.