NFL teams, players continue to protest during playing of anthem

On the second Sunday after President Donald Trump’s flurry of caustic remarks about NFL players protesting during the national anthem, NFL teams and players demonstrated again in a variety of ways, from players making individual statements along sidelines to entire teams kneeling before the anthem or locking arms during the song.

The actions of NFL players remained in the spotlight after Trump, in a Saturday tweet, urged all NFL players to stand for the national anthem.

In Baltimore, fans cheered as the public address announcer introduced the anthem and asked fans to join the Ravens players and organization in prayer to embrace “kindness, unity, equality and justice for all Americans.” The crowd booed as the Ravens held hands and dropped to a knee as a team. The players stood as one before the song, during which fans customarily chanted “O!” in tribute to the Orioles during “Oh say can you see you see?”

In Atlanta, several Buffalo Bills knelt behind a row of standing teammates. In Dallas, St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn stood alongside his teammates with a fist in the air. The Dallas Cowboys drew perhaps the most attention last week by kneeling together before the anthem, owner Jerry Jones included, on “Monday Night Football.” Sunday before their 1 p.m. game, all their players stood for the anthem. In Cleveland, several Browns raised fists while the Bengals locked arms.

This week, the Carolina Panthers met with owner Jerry Richardson after Richardson released a statement dissuading anthem protests. Some Panthers players prayed before the playing of the song before their game in New England, but all — including quarterback Cam Newton, who had publicly contemplated a protest during the week — stood for the song.

A little over 24 hours earlier, Trump had tweeted at NFL players over the anthem, writing: “Very important that NFL players STAND tomorrow, and always, for the playing of our National Anthem. Respect our Flag and our Country!”