Eagles’ support for jailed Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill runs deep

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The Eagles have embraced Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill as one of their own. When the Eagles enter the field for Super Bowl LII on Sunday against the Patriots they plan on playing Meek Mill’s song “Dreams and Nightmares.”

“He’s Philadelphia,” defensive end Brandon Graham said. “It was easy for everybody, it happened naturally. Everybody was listening to it in the weight room and listened to it before the game and everybody wants it to be the song we come out to before the Super Bowl.”

The support for the artist runs deep.

He was arrested last year for doing wheelies on a dirt bike, and a Philadelphia judge ruled he violated his probation and sentenced him to two to four years in prison. Mill is eligible for parole in two years.

Mill originally was arrested in 2007 on gun and drug charges and was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months. He served eight months, was released for good behavior in 2009 and placed on probation for five years. His probation was extended after committing various offenses such as leaving the state of Pennsylvania without telling his parole officer.

Mill’s sentence raised questions about the criminal justice system, something safety Malcom Jenkins has been asking people to be more aware of when it comes to African-Americans.

“For somebody to be sentenced two to four years for popping a wheelie, he’s been on probation for 11 years,” Jenkins said. “It’s ridiculous. At some point and time, after people have served their time, paid their debt and they want to become productive citizens in our country, we have to take some of these things off them.”

Outside of the players, fellow hip-hop artists Jay Z, Rick Ross, T.I. and NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving have come out to support Mill and voice displeasure at the jail sentence.

“I think it was a little harsh, the punishment was a little harsh,” running back LeGarrette Blount said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anybody getting that much time for violation of probation, to each his own. Everybody has heard the rumors and the stories of why it happened as far as a judge not being put in a song and all that kind of [expletive]. I don’t know how true it is. Just for the simple fact he got that much time for a violation of probation is crazy to me. But you know how that goes.”