Malcolm Jenkins Comments on White Teammates Supporting Donald Trump

Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins wasn't surprised to read of the significant racial split among NFL players regarding support for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. 

On Wednesday, Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman reported all 21 of the white NFL players interviewed for a straw poll plan on voting for Trump. Among the 22 black players interviewed, 20 will vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Jenkins discussed his firsthand experience with the divide with Josh Paunil of PhillyMag.com:

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I would say if it's not 100, it's probably 90 percent in this locker room. [...]

It's pretty accurate. Donald Trump is a divisive name in a locker room. A lot of guys will talk politics, but usually not about Trump. Those might get a little heated depending on who you’re talking to. … There's some hardcore Trump fans in this locker room… which is fine. [...]

Not that anything's wrong with it; you support whoever you want. But if I were to bring up the reasons that I didn't like Trump — he says borderline racist things and says crazy things about women — the argument is probably going to be some way to justify it as opposed to understanding the impact that has on a person of color.

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In his piece, Freeman wrote an anecdote about two teammates on opposite ends of the political spectrum who have seen their friendship impacted by the presidential election:

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They had known each other for four years. Their wives talked on occasion. Their kids sometimes played together. They sat next to each other in team meetings and went to dinner several times per month. They often joked that politics were off-limits because of their disparate viewpoints. Then, after their first offseason team workout in May, the lineman revealed he would be voting for Trump—and everything changed.

The linebacker, a Clinton supporter, began finding excuses for not going to dinner. The families stopped talking. When the lineman confronted his now former friend, he recalls receiving a blunt response: I can’t be friends with anyone who would vote for [Trump]. I’m sorry.

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Not only is Trump affecting the everyday interactions among NFL players, but he may also be indirectly hurting the league's bottom line. Television ratings are down compared to last year, according to Sports Media Watch.

Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch wrote he believes "Trump’s candidacy has taken some viewers away from sports" and that while it may not be the single driving force behind the NFL ratings decline, it's "a big one."