Saints Malcolm Jenkins is Lobbying for Reform
The New Orleans Saints’ Malcolm Jenkins will make a nostalgic return to Philadelphia on Sunday. In the meantime, he keeps focusing on creating positive changes in the areas of social justice. Malcolm Jenkins called Philadelphia home for six seasons after his rookie contract was not renewed in New Orleans. In his 12th season, Jenkins has played and won Super Bowl rings with both the Eagles and the Saints.
Lately, Jenkins has set his sights on petitioning and urging Ohio lawmakers to support the bipartisan Ohio Senate Bill 3.
The former Ohio State Buckeyes star has a vested interest in the opioid crisis and a passion for racial over-incarceration. Jenkins is intent on breaking the negative cycle with opioids and prison terms. Senate Bill 3 aims to update the state’s possession and trafficking laws, but most of all, to provide additional resources for the rehabilitation of citizens suffering from drug addiction and recidivism.
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the nation and the world, exacerbating Ohioans’ suffering from its devastation and the mounting losses to opioid addiction. The bill provides options for judges in determining treatment options for certain low-level, non-violent offenders instead of sentencing them to serve time in prison.
The goal is to offer treatment to addicts to turn their lives around and avoid additional incarceration. Jenkins is a staunch supporter of treatment programs set to tackle drug use and addiction problems. The problem has been that courts typically resolve issues through convictions. Jenkins'😭 and lawmakers' goal is to expand support for life-saving services as opposed to long-term sentences.
Malcolm Jenkins at Saints Training Camp in 2020; Credit: WVUE; August 2020
Before his return to New Orleans, Philadelphia was Jenkins' home for six seasons. On Sunday, the Saints and Eagles will square off at Lincoln Field with the debut of Jalen Hurts as Philadelphia's new starter at quarterback. The Saints are (10-2), and Eagles (3-8-1) will have an old-fashion "ground and pound" football game. Fox Sports will broadcast the 3:25 CST kickoff..
