Sometimes it’s bigger than football.
On Saturday, a day before heated rivals the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles square off for the second time this season, the Eagles’ social media team put up a post that goes far beyond the pending matchup and the hunt for the playoffs.
In the video post, Eagles linebacker Jalynx Hunt unveils a new pair of cleats featuring a smiling photo of himself and his late friend, Cowboys defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland.
Hunt said he plans to wear the cleats in Sunday’s matchup to honor Kneeland, who died by suicide earlier this month. It’s part of the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” initiative to showcase causes that are important to its players.
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“Marshawn and I started this journey together, seems like I’ve known him all my life, but I met him beginning of 2024 for pre-draft work,” Hunt explained in the video. “Through that process, it’s really unique. I’m with him every day. He’s annoying me. I’m annoying him. … Through that we got really close.”
Hunt, like Kneeland, is in his second NFL season after being drafted by the Eagles in the third round in 2024. He’s compiled 3.5 sacks in his first two seasons in Philadelphia.
The cleats also feature a reference to the 988 suicide hotline.
“Being able to wear him on my cleats at the game, it really means a lot,” Hunt explained. “If y’all need to call anybody, man, 988 is the hotline. Please talk to them. Being strong does not mean you gotta be silent. Please talk to somebody so that we don’t lose another great soul, a great person.”
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