Protests muted week after NFL responds to Trump
Glendale, Ariz. — The San Francisco 49ers played on Sept. 21, before President Donald Trump lashed out at NFL players for not standing during the national anthem.
So as teams across the league kneeled, sat and raised fists in protest, the team once at the epicenter of anthem protests was home watching it on TV.
With a week to think about it, the 49ers came up with their own demonstration of unity.
Just before Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco’s players formed two lines for the national anthem. The players in the front kneeled and the players in the back remained standing, setting off a round of boos at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Many of the standing players placed one hand on their heart, the other on the shoulder of a kneeling teammate in a sign of solidarity.
“For more than a year, members of our team have protested the oppression and social injustices still present in our society,” the 49ers said in a statement. “While some may not have taken a knee or raised a fist, we have all shared the desire to influence positive change. Today, our team chose to publicly display our unity in a new way and, in turn, urge others do the same. Our demonstration is simply a representation of how we hope our country can also come together by putting differences aside and solving its problems.”
More than 200 players kneeled or sat during the anthem last Sunday after Trump criticized the NFL in a speech and a series of tweets .
A week later, the protests had diminished, even after the president tweeted about the anthem the day before.
“Very important that NFL players STAND tomorrow, and always, for the playing of our National Anthem. Respect our Flag and our Country!” President Trump said.
Most players in the early games Sunday stood for the national anthem, with a few exceptions.
At Sunday’s first game, in London, New Orleans Saints players, coaches and staff knelt before the start of the anthem but stood in unison once it began. On the Miami Dolphins’ sideline, three players were on one knee during the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The Titans’ Jurrell Casey, Wesley Woodyard, Brian Orakpo and DaQuan Jones raised a fist, while Tennessee wide receiver Rishard Matthews was not on the field for the anthem. He came out of the tunnel after it ended. Nine Browns players, including LB Christian Kirksey, raised their right arms with closed fists.
“I don’t care what the president said. That has nothing to do with me,” Cincinnati defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones said after the Bengals beat the Browns 317. “Personally, I have people who have been in the Army, that has been over to Iraq, so I have a great deal of respect for the flag. Last week we stood for the flag. We joined arms ... but there was not a person in here that wasn’t standing for the flag or standing for the soldiers who have put in numerous hours of work to make sure we are at home safe.”