College players, fans raise fists during anthem

Football players for Michigan and Michigan State along with a group of students at North Carolina before the Tar Heels played host to Pitt raised their fists Saturday during the national anthem.

The gestures at the games come after a week punctuated by riots in Charlotte, N.C., and the killing of an unarmed black man in Tulsa, Okla.

Three Michigan State players — Delton Williams, Kenney Lyke and Gabe Sherrod — held their right fists in the air while standing on the sideline before the No. 8 Spartans’ loss to No. 11 Wisconsin.

“Whether somebody salutes, puts the hand over their heart or does something else, everybody has a choice to make,” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio added after the game. “Our young people are in college, and I can promise you one thing, that when the flag is presented in some respect, I guess it becomes much more important now. It’s not just, oh by the way, we’ll just stand for ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’ ” Saturday, a day after students took to the field after a game Friday night against Wyoming to protest racist graffiti that showed up on campus earlier in the week. The student protest on the Rynearson Stadium field was peaceful. During the game, students sat peacefully and talked to president

They moved outside the end zone area in the closing moments before walking onto the field chanting, “No justice! No peace!”