Dozens of players and coaches knelt down and six teams remained in their locker rooms during the US National Anthem on Sunday in the opening games of the new NFL season.
After months of continued protests against racism following the death of George Floyd on May 25 during his arrest, America’s most popular sport has seen a resurgence of activism among its players, in the wake of other sportsmen like the NBA basketball players at the forefront of this fight.
Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich knelt as his players held his arms during the anthem ahead of their game against the Jaguars in Jacksonville. “We will not remain silent, we will not be neutral, we will not be passive”, justified the Colts on Twitter.
“Our intention is to draw attention to the issue of systemic racism and the injustice that flows from it,” they added. “We are not protesting against the flag, the anthem or the men and women who wear the uniform. This action aims to emphasize that the presence, power and oppression of racism remain incompatible with the unity and freedoms that determine what it is to be American. “
In Atlanta, the Seattle Seahawks and Falcons on the field also all knelt immediately after their game kicked off. Seahawks players and coaches wore “We Want Justice” T-shirts during their warm-up.
In Baltimore, quarterback Lamar Jackson and a majority of his teammates kneeled or sat down during the anthem.
The kneeling had been adopted by former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016, to protest police violence against blacks. Which had earned him the insults of Donald Trump a few months later, and had ultimately cost him his career.
Of the 18 teams involved in the nine matches on the Sunday schedule, six – Green Bay, Miami, Jacksonville, Buffalo, Philadelphia and the New York Jets – chose to stay in their locker rooms, while the Star-Spangled Banner.
They also stayed inside for “ Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing “, A song considered” the black national anthem “, that the NFL wanted to play before all matches of the day.
