More protests during anthems
Kneeling, raised fists included
Opening day in the NFL saw Kansas City cornerback Marcus Peters raise a black-gloved fist during the national anthem, a protest amplified later Sunday when four Miami Dolphins kneeled on the sideline with hands on their hearts as “The Star Spangled Banner” played in Seattle.
The protests were inspired by San Francisco backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who chose to sit and take a knee during the anthem in preseason games to call attention to what he termed the oppression of blacks and other minorities.
“I come from a majority black community from Oakland, California ... so the struggle, I seen it,” Peters said after the Chiefs beat San Diego, 3327, in overtime. “I still have some family in the struggle. All I’m saying is we want to educate those, the youth that’s coming up.”
“After having a number of thoughtful discussions as a group regarding our representation during the national anthem, we decided collectively to lock arms as a sign of solidarity,” according to a statement released by the team. “It was our goal to be unified as a team and to be respectful of everyone’s opinions, and the remembrance of 9/11.”
The four Miami players — Arian Foster, Michael Thomas, Jelani Jenkins and Kenny Stills — registered their protest shortly before kickoff.
Several teams, including the Chiefs and Seahawks, saw their players link arms during the anthem. Peters, the 2015 defensive rookie of the year, was the last person in the Chiefs line and had his arm free to raise it.
Hits on Newton: The NFL and the NFL Players Association will investigate whether Carolina Panthers and independent medical team members responded properly to the fourth-quarter hit on Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in Thursday’s season opener at Denver.
It’s the first investigation conducted by the league and players union since the two entities announced a new policy in July to enforce the NFL’s game day concussion protocol and discipline teams that violate it.
Newton took several hard hits in Thursday night’s game, including four helmet to helmet and one after which he appeared woozy. The union has questioned why Newton didn’t undergo a cognitive exam on the sideline during the game.
Injuries: Giants linebacker J.T. Thomas III was also carted off after spraining a knee on a kickoff return, and Bucs defensive end Jacquies Smith was carted off with a right knee injury and ruled out for the rest of the game. Houston middle linebacker Brian Cushing also hurt a knee but walked off under his own power.
Indianapolis defenders T.J. Green (sprained knee) and Patrick Robinson (medical evaluation) went down in the same series in the first half and stayed out for the rest of the game.