In a recent change of tide, the September 24, 2017 Sunday night football game was one to remember. NFL teams came together to protest President Donald Trump’s “son of a bitch” remark towards players who were kneeling in protest against police brutality and racial injustice. The President stated at an Alabama rally, “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now…’”
Teams responded in different ways across the nation. The Dallas Cowboys, led by owner Jerry Jones, knelt prior to the national anthem and stood locked in arms during the anthem as Jordin Sparks sang. Their opponents, the Arizona Cardinals, including the staff, stood locked in arms with military service members during the anthem.
Sparks also wrote the scripture Proverbs 31: 8-9 on her hand, which reads: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Other teams like the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans stayed in the locker room during the national anthem altogether. While the Titans were not expected to protest, the Seahawks released a statement prior to the game with their intentions of not participating in the national anthem.
(Screenshot taken by Aerial Adams)
The tweet read: “As a team, we have decided we will not participate in the national anthem. We will not stand for the injustice that has plagued people of color in this country. Out of love for our country and in honor of the sacrifices made on our behalf, we unite to oppose those that would deny our most basic freedoms. We remain committed to continuing to work towards equality and justice for all.”
Meghan Linsey, who sang the national anthem during this game, also took a knee after finishing the song.
The consensus is that players, coaches, owners, and staff members of teams protesting decided that Trump had taken his final strike against the league by calling Kaepernick an S.O.B. and advising owners to fire anyone who expresses the first amendment freedoms of speech and protest. Even players who did not agree with kneeling during the anthem were more disturbed by the president’s comments.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees decided to stand with his hand over his heart during the anthem but felt that the dozens of players that knelt were justified in doing so. While he stated that the president’s comments were “unbecoming of the office of the President of the United States,” he also said, “But if the protest becomes that we are going to sit down or kneel and not show respect to the United States of America and everything that it symbolizes, and everything that it stands for, and everything our country has been through to get to this point, I don’t agree with that.”
Other team members disagreed with Brees’s logic. “Just standing with the protest, and showing the world where we stand with equality, not just for African Americans. There is a need for change,” said Saints running back, Adrian Peterson.
Commentators like Shannon Sharpe argued that the NFL owners, coaches, players, and staff were not kneeling in protest for Colin Kaepernick but instead for pride. “[NFL owners] don’t like being told what to do. They don’t like being bullied.” Nothing that Trump has done or said has “shocked the conscience of NFL owners…They gave a million dollars for the inauguration of President Trump, and now they seem to be shocked…I’m unimpressed because this wasn’t a protest. This was unity…We’re showing solidarity because President Trump, he challenged the very men, wealthy men, billionaires–he told them what you should do if someone protests, you should fire them.”
Whether players disagree or agree with Kaepernick or the general protest, the league has shown an overwhelming unity, which continues indefinitely.