Malcolm Jenkins, who, with Anquan Boldin, led the player side negotiations on the NFL’s $89 million contribution to social causes, happens to be a Papa John’s franchisee. pic.twitter.com/0HSIX2RGd2
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 30, 2017
Papa John’s blamed NFL players kneeling against police brutality and racism for their low Pizza sales. It is coming out that Malcolm Jenkins who is being accused of secretly negotiating a payout to stop the protests owns a Papa Johns.
Deadspin explains how the $100 million would be hush money.
A source with direct knowledge of the communications between Reid and other members of the Players Coalition says the 49ers player has major concerns about the deal. Reid is worried that the NFL is trying to co-opt the players’ nascent social justice movement. And counter to what Trotter reported on Wednesday, the source says the 49ers player was specifically asked if he would stop protesting if the league made donations to charity.
“Eric received a message,” the source told Slate. “The comment was: Would you be willing to end the protests if they made a donation?”
It appears that the message, even if it originated with the NFL, was delivered to Reid by Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, one of the leaders of the Players Coalition, along with Anquan Boldin. (ESPN reported as much yesterday.) And, reading the tea leaves, it looks like the players who are leaving the coalition are not happy with Jenkins’s and Boldin’s willingness to consider the NFL’s offer.
In their identical statements yesterday, Reid and Michael Thomas wrote, “Malcolm and Anquan can no longer speak on our behalf as we don’t believe the coalition’s beliefs are in the best interests as a whole.” And Kenny Stills told ESPN that “we’re going to let [Jenkins and Boldin] go on with what they’re doing. We’re just saying that we’re not going to have them speak for us.”
The $89 million in spending breaks down over seven years, and involves donations of $250,000 per year per owner, with an equal amount contributed by players. That’s chump change, especially considering how that money might be spent.
Pay attention, Jenkins has also been accused of trying to push the narrative that Kaepernick doesn’t want to be involved in something he created.
Eric Reid said that Jenkins has not been including Kaepernick, the founder of the original movement, in communications.
“Malcolm, which is also a concern that I raised with him, Malcolm kicked Colin out of the coalition following the meeting in New York at the beginning of the season,” Reid said.
“There was a group message — I guess he was the administrator of the message, and he took Colin out.”
If this is all true, Jenkins interests are self-motivated and he has turned his back on players.