NFL defends athletes criticized by Trump after protests against racism.
NFL teams have shown solidarity with football players who have been protesting by kneeling, linking arms, or standing off the field during the national anthem, defying US President Donald Trump's call for teams to fire those who refuse to stand. Coaches, technical staff, and even some owners have joined players in responding to a tweet from Trump criticizing athletes who kneel during the anthem, deeming the stance unpatriotic.
Reuters NFL teams showed solidarity before Sunday's games with football players who have been protesting, with athletes kneeling, linking arms or standing off the field during the national anthem, in defiance of US President Donald Trump's call for team owners to fire those who refuse to stand.
On the sidelines of courts at various games across the country and even in London, coaches, technical staff, and even some owners joined players in a silent response to a tweet from President Donald Trump, who over the weekend criticized athletes who kneel during the national anthem, deeming the gesture unpatriotic.
Repeating a gesture initiated last season by Colin Kaepernick, then quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, several NFL players have begun kneeling during the national anthem, a way to draw attention to what athletes see as a pattern of racism in the treatment of Black Americans by US police.
In Detroit, several members of the Lions knelt, and singer Rico Lavelle knelt and raised a clenched fist at the end of his rendition of the U.S. national anthem.
In Philadelphia, police officers joined players from the Eagles and the New York Giants, along with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, in linking arms during the national anthem as a sign of solidarity.
While some Americans sympathize with the protesters, others see the refusal to remain standing as a disrespect for the flag and for the members of the Armed Forces who sacrificed or died defending the country.
Trump revived the controversy on Friday at an event in Alabama, where he implied that any player who protests is a "son of a bitch" and urged club owners to fire them on the spot, echoing the catchphrase from his reality show: "You're fired."
The controversy may appeal to Trump's conservative base at a time when the Republican president is grappling with North Korea's nuclear threats, an investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, and a battle to pass healthcare reform in Congress.
But Trump's stance seems to have convinced players, teams, and the league to assert what they see as a right to freely express their political convictions.
In Foxboro, Massachusetts, more than a dozen players and coaches from the Super Bowl champion Patriots knelt or linked arms, including Tom Brady, husband of Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen.