ANTHEM KNEELER FOILED
Kayoing Kaepernick gesture
Not far from the Washington Beltway, a pro soccer team found a way to take the focus off a visiting player who planned to kneel during the national anthem in a nod to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s similar gesture to protest police brutality.
In the game at the Maryland SoccerPlex, the host Washington Spirit simply played the national anthem while the teams were off the field.
“We decided to play the anthem in our stadium ahead of schedule rather than subject our fans and friends to the disrespect we feel such an act would represent,” the Spirit said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.
“We understand this may be seen as an extraordinary step, but believe it was the best option to avoid taking focus away from the game on such an important night for our franchise.”
Seattle Reign midfielder Megan Rapinoe had kneeled during the anthem in her team’s previous game and apparently was planning to do so again against the Spirit.