FOXBOROUGH — Patriots safeties Duron Harmon and Devin McCourty have been outspoken advocates for juvenile criminal reform throughout the past year, and used Wednesday’s training camp practice to bring attention to their cause.
After practice, each player took off his jersey to reveal a T-shirt underneath sporting the hashtag #SchoolsNotPrisons on the front. The back of the shirt read, “Nearly 5,000 kids are in adult prisons and jails #SchoolsNotPrisons.” Several other players around the league wore the same shirt, including the Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins, the Saints’ Demario Davis, and the Panthers’ Torrey Smith.
Duron Harmon, like Torrey Smith, is also wearing a #schoolsnotprison shirt today pic.twitter.com/JTTFBcF2zs
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) August 1, 2018
Torrey Smith walks the talks. pic.twitter.com/A2oaSvHTFV
— Bill Voth (@PanthersBill) August 1, 2018
Appreciate my guys supporting #SchoolsNotPrisons let’s help build a bright future for our youth pic.twitter.com/h23HSqZz3t
— Devin&Jason McCourty (@McCourtyTwins) August 2, 2018
The players are part of the Players Coalition that has been working with the NFL to address social causes in the wake of the national anthem controversy.
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“Being a part of it was a no-brainer, to put it on today to help spread some light,” Harmon said. “The school-to-prison pipeline is something that is all throughout this country. And we’re trying to decrease that tremendously, so we can get these young kids, instead of sending to juvenile detention centers and prison, send them to places where they can deal with their problems and understand that they don’t have to be that way and hopefully turn them to a new direction.”
Malcolm Jenkins, along with several other players around the NFL, wore a #SchoolsNotPrisons shirt under his pads today. “Finding ways to continue to push our message across,” he said, “and fight back against this somehow being about patriotism & the anthem.”
— Jenny Vrentas (@JennyVrentas) August 1, 2018
Harmon and McCourty have also advocated for criminal justice reform this offseason, hosting a town hall meeting in Dorchester with district attorney candidates and recently writing an op-ed about the need for more school funding in low-income areas.
Harmon said it is important to remind people that the players are focused on making positive changes to their communities, and not on protesting the issues during the national anthem.
“That’s why we all keep speaking on it, going to different events — just to show people it wasn’t just about protesting the anthem,” Harmon said. “It’s about unity, creating change in the community. Hopefully somebody takes something from it today with me just wearing the shirt.”
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Related coverage:
■ Duron Harmon, Devin McCourty speak from the heart on social issues
■ ‘We’re all fighting for something that’s good’: Devin McCourty’s journey with the Players Coalition
■ Devin McCourty wants the discussion to be about the positive work being done by players
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenVolin