Injuries to negate player protests during anthem
Loss of Stills, Wilson means no Dolphins expected to kneel
DAVIE – Angry fans have cancelled season tickets, the NFL has threatened punishment and President Donald Trump has demanded an end to it.
But what does it take to keep the Miami Dolphins from kneeling during the national anthem? Injuries.
For the first times since NFL players began kneeling in 2016, the Miami Dolphins will likely not have a player kneel during the national anthem in protest of racial and social inequality.
Dolphins receivers Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson — two players who have protested before every game this season — will not travel to Houston for Thursday’s game against the Texans.
Both Stills (groin) and Wilson (hip) suffered injuries during last Sunday’s Dolphins loss to the Detroit Lions that will prevent them from making the trip.
Stills and Wilson were the only two NFL players to kneel in the protest before safety Eric Reid, one of the first players to kneel alongside former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, joined the mix in Week 5 after being signed by the Carolina Panthers.
Despite the continued protests, which bought
angst to the NFL after tweets and complaints from President Trump, NFL TV ratings have reportedly increased steadily for much of this season.
Stills has acknowledged that there could be many reasons for increased viewership, but says one factor is rarely mentioned.
“I think that the NFL has kinda avoided the protest issues as a whole by not showing the nation anthem on TV before the games, and I think that’s played a big part in people continuing to watch the games or the ratings not to going down,” Stills told the South Florida Sun Sentinel earlier this month.
“I think that the quality of the game has been really good this year. Most of the games have been pretty close, or down to the wire, or there’s a lot of scoring going on so it’s fun to watch. There is a combination of things going on that’s got viewership up.”
Stills is correct, at least in part to what can be measured.
Improved quarterback play, the return from injuries to players like Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, the NFL’s point of emphasis on roughing-thepasser penalties, and competitive finishes have all aided this trend.
NFL teams are scoring 11 percent more than the previous season (24.0 in 2018, 21.7 in 2014) through seven weeks, marking the largest single jump in 43 years (18.2 in 1974 to 20.6 in 1975).
NFL’s TV ratings are up 4 percent this season, and the league has seen a 65 percent gain in streaming audiences this year, according to a Boston Globe report before Week 7 concluded Sunday. The same report states the margin of victory in the NFL is the fourth-lowest in history.
Stills believes NFL broadcasts not highlighting the national anthem satisfies fans who may agree or disagree with the protest, but simply do not want to see it.
He also believes fans may not think it is continuing because
they do not see it before games.
By not showing the protest, Stills believes the NFL does not support the movement, first sparked by Kaepernick in 2016.
“You never see the NFL posting about me, or Eric Reid, or Albert, or any of the other guys still involved in the protest. You don’t see them highlighting the work we’re doing in the community. You never see those types of things,” Stills said.
“To me, they’re avoiding it and making a certain group of people happy. Still, to me, it doesn’t feel like we have their support or they back what we’re doing or think what we’re doing isn’t important. That part is a little bit frustrating.”
NFL broadcasts have shown a number of B-roll clips of players participating in community work during portions of games, either as a transition between plays or after a commercial break before play continues.
Stills has recently participated in a number of volunteering, mentoring and awareness-raising activities, such as meeting with Broward Sheriff’s Office to discuss community policing and taking part in youth engagement activities as part of the Dolphins’ Football Unites program.
He has also recently visited with veterans in local hospitals during 9⁄11, and received the Luminary Icon award from SAVE, a LGBTQ-rights group for promoting equality.
Wilson’s season could possibly be over due to the hip injury, but Stills is expected to return from his groin injury this season.
Without Stills and Wilson this week, the protest is still expected to continue.
Barring any setbacks, Reid is expected to kneel before Carolina’s Week 8 home game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
“I get what they’re doing. I’m happy that fans are watching. But, also, there’s still work to be done, and I hope people realize that,” Stills said. “I hope that people understand in order for things to change in our country, we all have to come together and do it together.
“We can’t turn our backs on it or not show it. It doesn’t go away like that.”