Meek Mill could be released from prison, and Eagles players couldn't be happier
Malcolm Jenkins and other Philly players have long advocated for the imprisoned rapper
The Philadelphia Eagles might soon be hosting their biggest celebration since winning Super Bowl LII. And it has nothing to do with football.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said this week that "there is a strong showing of likelihood" that the conviction of rapper Meek Mill, a local celebrity who was sentenced to two to four years in prison for a 10-year-old gun charge in November, will be reversed. And many Eagles, including Pro Bowl safety Malcolm Jenkins, a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee, have not been shy about campaigning for just that in recent months.
The Eagles, in fact, made support for the 30-year-old Mill, who rose to fame in Philadelphia, a regular part of their social activism in 2017 -- long before this week's report that the rapper's arresting officer may have lied while testifying in court a decade ago.
As CBS Philly reported, Jenkins joined Mill's mother as recently as Tuesday to call both for Mill's release from prison and a legislative look at criminal justice reform, citing the fact that the artist has been repeatedly kept under probation -- and now imprisoned -- for an incident that occurred 10 years ago. But the veteran Eagles player was also joined by four of his teammates at a Center City rally back in November, too, partnering with Torrey Smith, Jalen Mills, Vinny Curry and Wendell Smallwood -- and hundreds of public protesters -- to stand against what was deemed an "unfair criminal justice system."
The Eagles also adopted Mill's own song, the intro to his 2012 "Dreams and Nightmares" album, during their run to Super Bowl LII, blasting his work as both an unofficial anthem for their trip through the playoffs and, in some eyes, as a protest of sorts.
Meek Mill’s triumphant Dreams and Nightmares record was the soundtrack to this year’s Super Bowl Eagles win, so it’s only right we bask in the good news and anticipate the arrival of the Philly-native. pic.twitter.com/glODuXz3va
— East Coast Renaissance (@TweetECR) February 23, 2018
Even one of the newest additions to the Eagles, former Seattle Seahawks defensive end, found a way to include a call to "free Meek Mill" in his first tweet as a member of the team.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🎟🏅🏅🏅🏅 free meek mill pic.twitter.com/RgpOme044m
— Michael Bennett (@mosesbread72) March 7, 2018