Eagles' Chris Long Donates Part of Salary to Early-Literacy Charity Campaign

Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long is once again stepping up to try to make a difference in the world.

Long will be donating a quarter of his 2018 salary to help launch the "First Quarter for Literacy," an early-literacy program, in a partnership with the United Way.

The 33-year-old further explained his decision, per ESPN's Tim McManus:

"Kids don't have a choice. Kids don't pick their parents, they don't pick their economic background, they don't pick the neighborhood they grew up in, they don't pick any of the factors that can hold them back, they don't pick their school system. So [investing in them], it just feels like you're doing something productive. ... I just feel like this is something where you're going to see results."

Long has a base salary of $2.5 million in 2018, according to Spotrac.

As the defensive lineman noted in one of his tweets, he hopes to provide a minimum of 75,000 books to the community. He is currently about one-third of the way to his goal.

Long has made a point in recent years to try to make an impact on the world by giving back. Last year, he donated his first six game checks to provide two scholarships for students from his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. Not only that, but he then put up the remaining 10 game checks to launch the "Pledge 10 for Tomorrow" campaign.

"I just feel like when you tie in football, which people are crazy about, to a cause that maybe people aren't as aware of, and use your platform to educate people on some of the dire needs we have, you get them excited and they give," Long said, per McManus. "That's what happened last year, and hopefully it happens this year.

According to McManus, Long will also match up to $25,000 for any player who contributes to the cause. 

The two-time Super Bowl champion has done his research and found that children who are not reading by the time they finish third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school, per McManus. As a result, their futures become at risk.

That's why the former No. 2 overall pick wants to use his platform to try to create a better world.

"I want people to read the stuff I'm reading and see how dire of a need there is for us to raise the bar here, because it's just a huge indicator," Long said, per McManus. "There is a direct correlation between how well a kid is reading by fourth grade and how their life is going to go."