Players and Personnel Around the NFL Display Signs of Unity During National Anthem

NFL
Tom Brady locked arms with teammates during the national anthem before the game against the Houston Texans on Sunday. (Credit Steven Senne/Associated Press.)

More eyes than usual were on NFL players and personnel in the wake of comments made by President Donald Trump recently. Trump, at a rally in Alabama and on Twitter, took aim at NFL players who choose not to stand for the national anthem. The president specifically called on owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to take anthem protesters off the field by way of releasing them from their respective teams.

Coincidentally, Week Three of the NFL season got off to an earlier-than-usual start with the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars kicking off from London at 9:30 Eastern Standard Time.

NFL players participating in the game abroad set the tone for the rest of the league, with a few exceptions.

NFL Players, Owners, Staff Stand Together

Some players continued to take a knee during the playing of the anthem. Today, however, many teams chose to lock arms, sometimes with other team personnel.

During the early game, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan stood arm-in-arm with players of his team. On the other sideline, several Ravens players knelt, and players stood with team staff, including head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Several owners (including the Arthur Blank of the Falcons, Minnesota’s Mark and Zygi Wilf, as well as the Eagles‘ Jeffrey Lurie) stood on the sidelines with players, linking arms as a sign of NFL-wide unity. Detroit Lions owner, Martha Ford, also stood with players. So did Ford’s three daughters.

In several NFL stadiums, including Detroit, fans could be audibly heard booing players before and/or after the anthem.

Teams and owners also released statements over the weekend to express support for players. Most notably, the New England Patriots, via their owner Robert Kraft, released the following via the Patriots’ Twitter:

“I am deeply disappointed by the tone of the comments made by the President on Friday … I am proud to be associated with so many players who make such tremendous contributions in positively impacting our communities. Their efforts, both on and off the field, help bring people together and make our community stronger.”

The comments from Kraft are particularly of note. Kraft is friends with President Trump and also donated to his campaign. The Patriots owner also credits Trump as being a source of positivity while Kraft was mourning the loss of his wife, Myra, who passed away in 2011.

Representatives/owners from the Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears also released statements expressing similar sentiments as the one released by Robert Kraft. It would not be surprising in the least if more teams followed suit as the protests and games continue.

Other Protests

In addition to players linking arms, there were also other forms of protest around the NFL on Sunday. During the Carolina/New Orleans game, Panthers defensive lineman Julius Peppers stayed in the locker room.

The Pittsburgh Steelers mostly stood in the tunnel just off the playing field (and just out of the visibility of fans and cameras). The exception was Steelers offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, a veteran of the U.S. Army, stood outside the tunnel where his teammates with his hand over his heart.

Here was the scene on Sunday across the NFL.

Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman gave his reaction to the  President’s comments.

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Ryan lives in Wisconsin. He was raised on a steady diet of whole milk, cheese, sports, WWF/WWE wrestling, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

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