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The Veteran And NFL Player Who Advised Kaepernick To Take A Knee

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

If you're a football fan, you already know this. For everybody else, this is the first Sunday of the NFL season. And even if you don't follow the game, you probably know that one of the ongoing dramas involves the question of whether players will kneel or not during the playing of the national anthem. Of course, this all started two years ago with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He famously took a knee. Others joined him. President Trump began furiously attacking him and other players, so more joined them. It became a thing.

It still has not settled. Kaepernick hasn't played a game since 2017 and has a pending grievance against the league. He's also featured in a new Nike ad that celebrates him and others. That's also sparked controversy.

So you probably know all this, but what you might not know is why Kaepernick started kneeling to begin with as opposed to something else, and that's where Nate Boyer comes in. He's a former active-duty Green Beret who had a stint in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. He initially advised Kaepernick to take a knee instead of sitting down during the anthem as a sign of respect. He recently wrote about this, so we called him.

Nate Boyer, thanks so much for joining us.

NATE BOYER: Yeah. Of course. Thanks for having me.

MARTIN: So take us back. How did you get to talk with Colin Kaepernick to begin with? How did your conversation ensue?

BOYER: You know, this was two years ago, 2016 during the preseason. And he, you know, had sat on the bench. And I think it was actually his third time he'd sat on the bench. But it was the first time it had received national attention. And, you know, he got questioned about it, and he said, well, I'm not going to stand for the flag of a country that oppresses black people and people of color. And then he talked about, you know, social injustices and police brutality and why he thought, you know, he shouldn't be standing for the anthem.

And it struck a chord with me, of course, and it struck a chord with a lot of people - a lot of people in the veteran community as well - because obviously the flag and the anthem and what that stuff stands for means something, you know, very different to us. And I was pretty upset, you know, just because I felt like he didn't understand what those symbols really represent. And - but instead of letting my anger overwhelm me, I decided to relax a little bit, and I wrote this open letter that was just explaining my experiences, my relationship to the flag.

And Colin actually reached out, said he wanted to meet with me. And we sat in the lobby of the team hotel, discussed our situation, our different opinions and feelings about all this. And I suggested him taking a knee instead of sitting even though I wanted him to stand, and he wanted to sit. And it was, like, this compromise that we sort of came to. And that's where the kneeling began.

MARTIN: How did the idea of taking a knee come to you?

BOYER: I thought - at that time I said, look, I think your point has definitely been made that everyone's listening. Like, let's make a plan of attack now. And, you know, let's work on action for it. But he said, you know, what I've committed to this, and - I'm not going to do it until I start to see these changes I want to see. And, you know, I respected that decision and opinion. And I thought kneeling - personally, so I don't speak for everybody, I don't speak for every veteran. I've been told that numerous times by many people. But I thought kneeling was more respectful, and I will say that being alongside his teammates was the biggest thing for me.

And, you know, people - in my opinions and in my experience, kneeling's never been in our history really seen as a disrespectful act. I mean, people kneel when they get knighted. You kneel to propose to your wife, and you take a knee to pray. And soldiers often take a knee in front of a fallen brother's grave to pay respects. So I thought, if anything, besides standing, that was the most respectful. But, of course, that's just my opinion.

MARTIN: Sure. And others obviously disagree. Are you surprised or - I'm just interested in how you react to the fact that this has continued to be such a - I don't know what word to use - lightning rod - that it seems to spark such a furious reaction in some quarters?

BOYER: Right. You know, I'm not surprised just because of where we are as a nation. And we've become increasingly divided over the last decade, more than I remember in my whole lifetime. We're being pulled apart, it feels like, as a country. And, you know, with the age of social media, it's - everybody can see it and feel it and contribute to it a lot more, I think.

So, no, I'm not surprised. I mean, it wouldn't have mattered what he did after sitting if it wasn't standing, facing, saluting the flag maybe exactly how somebody pictured what - that respect is supposed to be, I think a lot of people still would have been upset. You know, and the irony behind that is there's a lot of people maybe now that do that that didn't do it before.

And what I'm trying to say is, like, the people in the stands that are upset for him, you know, sitting or kneeling or whatever that are now taking the time to really focus when that anthem's being played in the stadium, where before, I don't think a lot of people really cared. I mean, I know growing up myself, it was just what we did before the ballgame. You know, when I was young, I just didn't think of it in that way. I just was, like, OK, this is traditionally due, blah, blah, blah, what's next? When are we going to start playing? And I think now people are paying more attention at that time, and I think a lot - maybe a lot of younger people, whether they're left or right, have given more thought to that symbol.

MARTIN: Some are arguing that these protests should stop because they haven't been successful in the sense that they alienate as many people as they persuade. What's your take on that?

BOYER: They've definitely achieved quite a bit of discussion (laughter) and maybe angry discussion. But it's - it is discussion. I don't know. I mean, that was one of the issues when I first met with him that I asked - was, what are your measurable goals? And at the time, to be quite honest, he didn't have any. I think personally he didn't know was going to blow up like it did. And now that it has, I think he himself had to take a step back and re-evaluate. You know, what am I going to do? What can I do? And then he took action.

And I think a lot of people on both sides of this - you know, it's definitely affecting the way you see him and maybe the way you see a whole - entire group of people. So, in a lot of ways, I think it's - I'm not going to say harmful, but it hasn't brought us together. I will say that. We live in a time where there's not a lot of respect for our fellow man.

And I'm not referring to the protests at all because personally, I don't think people should stand with pride for something that they don't believe in, period. I just don't think that. I think if you don't feel that way, then let's fix it. Let's work together to make this situation better. Because I want you to want to stand. I want you to want to feel that same type of pride that I feel. So anyway, it's obviously complicated.

MARTIN: The piece that you wrote - it was very interesting because it sounded a little bit like you were processing out loud. But here's where you came out. What you said is that, look, I don't endorse Kaepernick's method of protest, but I absolutely support his right to do so. How did you come to that place?

BOYER: Well, I've kind of felt like that since the beginning of this whole thing - is that I don't necessarily agree with him, but what I've fought for, what we all fought for - whether we like it or not, we can say we don't like it all day - but we took an oath to defend the Constitution. And I fought to defend our rights, which obviously include the first amendment, you know, which is free speech. And I don't have to agree with or even like what people do sometimes. But I have defended the right of someone to stand right in front of my face and burn an American flag, you know, and call me a baby killer or call me whatever they want. I still fought for that.

And it's what makes it very difficult, and it can be hurtful because it's just - you can say a protest or a campaign or you can say anything is about a specific idea. You can say, like, look. It's not about this. It's about this. I'm not - I don't hate America. I'm not disrespecting the flag. This is not about veterans. This is about people of color and the criminal justice system and all that. But you also don't get to choose how people perceive things. And that's what makes this even more difficult and just tougher for just a lot of people - I'm not going to say just people in camouflage, but all of us as Americans.

MARTIN: How do you feel your military service informs the way you look at this?

BOYER: Well, I think more than anything what my military service has informed me of is open-mindedness that I didn't necessarily have before, right? Before I even joined the military, for instance, I wasn't a very patriotic person. I just wasn't. You know, the reason I joined is because I went and did - I did some relief work out in the Darfur in the early 2000s, so I was in Chad and Sudan and at these refugee camps. And, you know, talk about oppression. And for that to spark this idea or this patriotism in me to want to fight for these people, to fight for those that can't fight for themselves.

And, in my time in Iraq and Afghanistan, working with people that I have so little in common with cultures- and customs-wise - but I learned to respect them because I listened to them. We had these conversations to get to know each other, and we realized we want the same stuff. We're human beings at our core. And you put all those differences aside, and you don't care about the little things anymore. You know what I mean? And you fight alongside these people, and they become your brothers in arms as well.

And I just learned to understand that I'm not going to agree with everybody. Everybody doesn't have to agree with me. And I don't have to be right all the time. It's OK because what is right? Like, we don't really even know what's right and wrong. We're just making guesses and assumptions, and we're hoping a lot of the time. And so it was through that time over there that I think it better informed me on how to live back here and how to just respect the man on my left and right, or woman on my left and right as well. Because, at the end of the day, you know, yes, we're very different in very many ways, but we're so much more similar than we are different.

MARTIN: That is Nate Boyer. He's a former Green Beret, a former NFL player.

Nate Boyer, thanks so much for talking with us.

BOYER: Of course. Thank you so much. I appreciate you.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOON HOOCH'S "5-SAX PIECE")

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The Veteran And NFL Player Who Advised Kaepernick To Take A Knee

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: If you're a football fan, you already know this. For everybody else, this is the first Sunday of the NFL season. And even if you don't follow the game, you probably know that one of the ongoing dramas involves the question of whether players will kneel or not during the playing of the national anthem.

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Trump demands NFL kick players out for a season or give them 'no pay' if they take a knee during national anthem

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President Donald Trump has again voiced his firm stance against NFL national anthem protests and demanded NFL commissioner Roger Goodell "make a stand."

Trump floated his own idea for the organization's policy: "First time kneeling, out for game. Second time kneeling, out for season/no pay!"

Trump's comments follows the NFL and the National Football League Players Association decision to suspend and reevaluate the existing policy.

Kneeling, which began as a way of protesting police brutality and racial injustice, was criticized by some who believed it was unpatriotic and disrespectful.

President Donald Trump voiced his firm stance against the NFL national anthem protests that split the sports and politics community throughout the 2017 season.

"The NFL National Anthem Debate is alive and well again - can't believe it!," Trump said in a tweet on Friday. "Isn't it in contract that players must stand at attention, hand on heart?"

Kneeling during the playing of the nation anthem, which began as a way of protesting police brutality and racial injustice, was criticized by some who believed it was unpatriotic and disrespectful.

The protests drew ire from Trump, who railed against the act in various campaign speeches.

On Friday, Trump demanded NFL commissioner Roger Goodell "make a stand" and floated his own idea for the organization's policy.

"First time kneeling, out for game," Trump added in his tweet. "Second time kneeling, out for season/no pay!"

The NFL recently tried to address its critics and provide a solution to the growing controversy, but ultimately fell short.

In May, the organization announced it would fine teams that did "not show appropriate respect for flag and anthem. Under the new policy, the NFL would leave further disciplinary measures against the offending players up to their teams.

Players would be obligated to stand during the anthem and refrain from making disrespectful gestures, while those who wished not to participate would be allowed to stay in the locker room.

Trump's statement comes one day after the NFL and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) announced they would suspend and reevaluate the policy, after the NFLPA filed a grievance and players indicated that they would still continue their protests.

"No new rules relating to the anthem will be issued or enforced for the next several weeks while these confidential discussions are ongoing," the statement said, according to The Associated Press.

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Trump demands NFL kick players out for a season or give them 'no pay' if they take a knee during national anthem

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President Donald Trump has again voiced his firm stance against NFL national anthem protests and demanded NFL commissioner Roger Goodell "make a stand." Trump floated his own idea for the organization's policy: "First time kneeling, out for game. Second time kneeling, out for season/no pay!"

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The NFL’s “take a knee” ban is flatly illegal

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This story is part of a group of stories called

Outside contributors' opinions and analysis of the most important issues in politics, science, and culture.

NFL team owners this week decided that players will no longer be allowed to take a knee during the playing of the national anthem. And if they do, they will be subject to punishment and their team will be subject to fines.

The owners did provide the players with an alternative, of sorts: If a player does not wish to stand and salute the flag, he can stay in the locker room and wait for the anthem to end. This new league policy is meant to enforce a particular vision of patriotism, one that involves compliance rather than freedom of expression.

The policy is also illegal - for a host of reasons.

The clearest illegality derives from the fact that the league adopted its new policy without bargaining with the players union. When employees, including football players, are represented by a union, the employer - including a football league - can't change the terms of employment without discussing the change with the union. Doing so is a flagrant violation of the employer's duty to bargain in good faith.

If, as the NFL Players Association says, the employer implemented this change on its own, the policy is flatly illegal for that reason and should be rescinded by the league.

Kneeling is also a workplace protest

But the new policy has other, deeper problems. Just this week, the Supreme Court issued a major decision that clarifies exactly why the players' anthem protests are protected by our labor laws. In this decision, Epic Systems Corp v. Lewis, the Court concludes that the National Labor Relations Act is, at its core, designed to "protect things employees 'just do' for themselves in the course of exercising their right to free association in the workplace." Put plainly, the Court holds that collective actions engaged in by employees at work are the heart of labor law's concern.

In Epic, the Court uses this reasoning to hold that pursuing class-action arbitrations is not something labor law protects. Whether you accept that view or not - I do not - it is impossible to come up with a clearer example of something employees "just do for themselves" as a means of "exercising their right to free association in the workplace" than the anthem protests. They are a perfect example of the type of concerted activity that labor law is designed to protect.

Some might object that labor law does not protect these protests because they're about something other than work: They're about police brutality, or systemic racism, or the president's view of what patriotism means. Of course, in some sense this is exactly what the protests are about. But in a more direct, literal sense, what the players are protesting is the requirement that they stand during the national anthem. That's what the protest is: a refusal to stand.

Now that the owners have made it a workplace rule to stand during the anthem or stay in the locker room, any player who takes the field and takes a knee is protesting an employer rule. And that is unquestionably protected by federal labor law.

There is a potentially important caveat here, one that comes from a perverse and byzantine part of our labor law called the "partial strike" rule. A partial strike occurs when employees refuse to participate in only one workplace rule rather than ceasing to work entirely. Such strikes are not protected by the law.

This partial strike rule may mean that players who refuse to comply only with the anthem rule, but otherwise fulfill their obligations to the league, can be disciplined for doing so. The rule is perverse because any player who decided to protest the anthem rule by fully strikin g - not playing at all - would be protected.

In a perfect world, we would get rid of this silly doctrine, but until that happens, if the owners chose to enforce the partial strike rule, they might just be prodding the protesting players toward a complete strike.

The free speech case is also strong - especially given Trump's involvement

Finally, there is a serious free speech problem with the owners' rule. In general, the constitutional right to free speech applies only to censorship by government entities, not to what a private sector employer like the NFL does. But there are two reasons why the players have a viable free speech claim.

The first is that the president of the United States has been actively involved in the league's decision-making process. In an earlier round of the protest dispute, President Trump called on the league to discipline Colin Kaepernick for his leadership of the anthem protests and threatened to use the tax code to punish the NFL if they allowed them to continue. Vice President Mike Pence walked out of a 49ers game where anthem protests were planned.

What's more, the owners have made clear that their adoption of the new rule was made in response to p residential intervention: They believe that if they do not ban the protests, the president will continue to make the protests a national issue and thereby negatively affect the league's income stream.

As Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told Sports Illustrated, Trump "certainly initiated some of the thinking, and was a part of the entire picture." When the president and vice president of the United States are this intimately involved in encouraging a private employer to adopt a workplace rule, the Constitution should have something to say.

Applying the Constitution in this context is justified but would require judges to break some new legal ground. But even if the courts refuse to apply the Constitution directly here, the players ought to have at their disposal another powerful legal tool. The law of most states declares that employers may not fire, or otherwise discipline, employees for reasons that violate the state's public policies.

That's why, for example, employees cannot be fired for fulfilling jury duty, or for refusing to perjure themselves on the employer's behalf. If an employee is disciplined for one of these reasons, he is entitled to sue the employer (through what's called a public policy tort).

It is hard to imagine a public policy - in whatever state you choose - more important than the policy in favor of free speech on matters of public concern. Indeed, this public policy is enshrined in the constitution of every state in the nation. Given that freedom of speech is one of our most important public policies, courts should follow the lead of the famous Novosel decision, which held that an insurance company worker who declined to lobby legislators for a particular bill as the company had requested, and who stated his opposition to that bill, could not be dismissed.

The upshot of that decision is that an employer that disciplines an employee for engaging in peaceful speech has disciplined an employee in violation of public policy.

There would, of course, need to be limitations on this rule, and not everything an employee says regardless of context or form could be protected. But the NFL anthem protests are not a tough case. We have players engaged in fully peaceful speech acts, on a subject of core national importance, and in a context where they are literally debating with the president and vice president of the United States.

Given these facts, if the NFL takes action against the players, the league will violate public policy and should accordingly be vulnerable to legal action.
Benjamin Sachs is the Kestnbaum professor of labor and industry at Harvard Law School.
The Big Idea is Vox's home for smart discussion of the most important issues and ideas in politics, science, and culture - typically by outside contributors. If you have an idea for a piece, pitch us at thebigidea@vox.com.
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The NFL's "take a knee" ban is flatly illegal

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Outside contributors' opinions and analysis of the most important issues in politics, science, and culture. NFL team owners this week decided that players will no longer be allowed to take a knee during the playing of the national anthem. And if they do, they will be subject to punishment and their team will be subject to fines.

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'Take a knee': A complete guide to the NFL anthem controversy, starting with Kaepernick's first protest

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'Take a knee': A complete guide to the NFL anthem controversy, starting with Kaepernick's first protest

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Catch up on all the events surrounding the "take a knee" controversy as we head into the 2018-19 NFL season.

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New team, same man: Eric Reid kneels during national anthem in first game with Panthers

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Oct 7, 2018

David NewtonESPN Staff Writer

Close

Covered Panthers, NFL for 11 years

More than 25 years experience covering NFL, college football and NASCAR

Joined ESPN in 2006

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Eric Reid era with the Carolina Panthers began Sunday with the free safety taking a knee during the national anthem as his protest against social injustice continued with his new team.

Reid stood near midfield until the anthem began, then went to one knee as he did with the San Francisco 49ers from 2016 through last season.

The Panthers signed Reid during their bye last week to replace Da'Norris Searcy, who was placed on injured reserve after suffering his second concussion in a month.

Reid spoke to the media in Charlotte for the first time last Monday wearing a black T-shirt with #IMWITHKAP on the front. He made it clear his fight against social injustice and police brutality wasn't over even though his return to the NFL came more quickly than he expected.

He said his collusion suit against the NFL "without a doubt" will continue and added that he's still considering other ways to protest during the anthem as he and former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began doing in 2016.

On Sunday, prior to kickoff against the New York Giants, he made his decision known.

"Everybody in this [locker room], everybody who watches this game [and] everybody in this country knows what we're talking about. It's the truth. You can't deny it. We've just got to do more to make this better," Reid said on Sunday after Carolina's 33-31 victory over the Giants.

"People who don't want things to change, people who want to maintain the status quo ... they have to subvert. They have to distract. They have to redirect from what we're trying to accomplish. We have to stay strong. We have to stay diligent."

Reid wasn't the only NFL player to protest during the anthem this weekend. Miami Dolphins receivers Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson continued their protest of police brutality and social injustice by kneeling during the national anthem Sunday at Cincinnati. Stills has knelt in protest since 2016, and Wilson has knelt with him every game this season. Dolphins defensive end Robert Quinn raised his right fist during the anthem.

Kaepernick took to Twitter to applaud Reid and others for continuing to protest.

My Brother @E_Reid35, with @KSTiLLS and @iThinkIsee12, continue to take a knee against systemic oppression. They are unwavering in their conviction! #ImWithReid pic.twitter.com/NP7h6aQHUH
- Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) October 7, 2018

No other Carolina players joined Reid's protest. The last member of the Panthers to protest was defensive end Julius Peppers, who stayed in the locker room prior to the anthem last season when players around the league protested.

Several high-profile Carolina players said they were prepared to support Reid, a 2013 Pro Bowl selection, if he protested.

"Hey, no one cares," wide receiver Torrey Smith said last week. "It's not like he's out there and Coach calls Cover 3 or man-to-man, he's going to take a knee and let his guy run by. If that was the issue it would be a problem.

"Eric knows what's best for Eric and what Eric needs to do. We all understand what he's fighting for, so if that's something he decides to do, that's what he decides to do. But that has absolutely nothing to do with this locker room, the way we approach the game, the way we prepare and what we're trying to do."

Quarterback Cam Newton called the 26-year-old Reid a "steal."

"We have great players in this locker room and we've accepted him with open arms," Newton said. "I was thinking to myself, I hope he was and is as excited as everyone is having him. He's a very young, talented football player that has a lot of talent left in his body. For him to be on our team is a great thing.

"I'm going to stand by him knowing none of that will be a distraction for us winning football games."

Reid finished with three tackles in the Panthers' 33-31 victory.

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Now with Panthers, Reid continues to take knee

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Oct 7, 2018 David NewtonESPN Staff Writer Close Covered Panthers, NFL for 11 years More than 25 years experience covering NFL, college football and NASCAR Joined ESPN in 2006 CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Eric Reid era with the Carolina Panthers began Sunday with the free safety taking a knee during the national anthem as his protest against social injustice continued with his new team.

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NFL players take a knee, raise fists during national anthem

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NFL players take a knee, raise fists during national anthem

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Taking a knee: Why are NFL players protesting and when did they start to kneel?

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National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell issued a 1 minute and 21 second apology on 5 June, following several years of debate within the NFL as well as among fans, Donald Trump and countless pundits who criticised Colin Kaepernick and other players' silent protests against police brutality.

Mr Goodell's message came nearly two weeks after the police killing of George Floyd, whose Memorial Day death and the killings of other black Americans have galvanised global protests against police violence and racism.

But in the commissioner's message, Kaepernick - the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who protested police brutality against black Americans by taking a knee during the national anthem - was notably absent.

"We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong," the commissioner said. "We, the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter. ... The protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff. We are listening."

A wave of players in the NFL and in other sports followed Kaepernick's example, morphing into a direct resistance against the president after he condemned it. The NFL responded by announcing that teams would be fined if their players continued to do so.

But the move to take a knee during the national anthem before kick-off - or stand with arms locked in silent protest - follows in a long tradition of sports stars standing up for human rights, despite pressure from fans and public figures telling athletes to "stick to sports".

When did this all start?

Taking a knee has a larger legacy within the Civil Rights Movement. A famous photograph captured Martin Luther King Jr and other civil rights marchers kneeling in prayer in Selma, Alabama in 1965.

The photo was taken after the arrests of dozens of demonstrators amid three nonviolent protest marches fighting for voting rights for black Americans, ultimately leading to the landmark passage of the Voting Rights Act.

On "Bloody Sunday" on 7 March 1965, as hundreds of marchers prepared to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were met by state troopers and deputised white residents, who brutally attacked dozens of marchers.

By 2016, America was reeling from the deaths of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, among other black Americans killed by police.

Many of their deaths were captured on video and broadcast on social media, igniting a mass movement to condemn police violence.

NFL players weren't typically on the field for "The Star-Spangled Banner" until 2009. Between 2011 and 2014, the US Department of Defence gave the NFL millions of dollars to promote patriotic displays, including on-field flag ceremonies and tributes to veterans. Soon on-field anthem ceremonies became expected pregame rituals.

Kaepernick first protested at the start of the 2016 season on 26 August, but his quiet demonstrations were not immediately noticed. At that point, he simply sat on benches.

On 1 September, he transitioned to taking a knee in protest instead, following advice from Retired Army Green Beret Nate Boyer, who suggested kneeling during the ceremony would be more respectful towards veterans.

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour," Kaepernick said in a press conference after first sitting out during the anthem. "To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

Several other players joined Kaepernick's protest against criticism from football fans, and he had the support of then-president Barack Obama.

Commissioner Goodell, however, said he didn't "necessarily agree" with his method of protest.

Kaepernick played his final NFL game on 1 January 2017. Many players continued to kneel.

Mr Trump has frequently criticised kneeling during the anthem by framing Kaepernick's protest as disrespect for US troops without addressing the reasons for the protest in the first place.

In 2016, Kaepernick responded by saying: "He always says make America great again. Well, America has never been great for people of colour. That's something that needs to be addressed. Let's make America great for the first time."

Mr Trump became a catalyst for the protest in September when he said during a campaign rally in Alabama that he wished that NFL players would be fired for kneeling during the national anthem.

"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b**** off the field right now, out, he's fired. He's fired,'" Mr Trump said.

"You know, some owner is going to do that. He's going to say, 'That guy that disrespects our flag, he's fired.' And that owner, they don't know it [but] they'll be the most popular person in this country."

Nike made Kaepernick the face of a campaign ("Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything") in September 2018, prompting debate over his protests and boycotts against the company.

Who protested?

Some football teams chose not to come out onto the field at all after Mr Trump's comments, while other teams allowed their players to protest at their own discretion.

In addition to most, if not all, of the NFL teams seeing some players protesting the weekend after Mr Trump's remarks, baseball and basketball players also joined in.

Notably, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady called Mr Trump's comments "divisive" and locked arms with his teammates during his game following the president's remarks.

How did Black Lives Matter protests change the NFL?

Ahead of an uncertain season disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and propelled by the urgency of nationwide protests, it's difficult to say.

In 2018, NFL owners unanimously approved a national anthem policy requiring players to stand if they are on the field during the performance of the song.

But its status is unclear, and it hasn't been enforced over the last two seasons.

Under the rule, players have the option to remain in the locker room during the anthem if they prefer. If a player or other employee of a team kneels or sits during the anthem, the teams themselves are fined. The teams then have the option to fine the individual players or personnel for the infraction.

The vote was unanimous, but the owner of the San Francisco 49ers - the team Kaepernick played for when he started the protest - abstained from the vote.

Kaepernick's kneeling protest also has a grim resonance following the death of Mr Floyd.

Widespread footage of now-former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin shows him digging his knee into the back of Mr Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as he struggled to breathe.

At protests around the world, demonstrators have kneeled to echo Kaepernick's protest. Many police officers and elected officials have joined them.

Black NFL players issued a viral message following Mr Floyd's death to demand NFL officials condemn systemic racism, admit that the league has "wrongfully silenced" peaceful protests among players, and say that "Black Lives Matter."

"We will not be silenced," players say in the message. "We assert our right to peacefully protest."

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, among several NFL players who disagreed with kneeling during the anthem as a sign of protest, faced a wave of backlash after he said he will "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country."

Several other Saints players posted messages urging Brees to reconsider his statements.

He later apologised to his teammates and fans, saying: "I realise this is not an issue about the American flag. It has never been. We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities."

His initial comments drew support from Mr Trump, who said Brees "should not have taken back his original stance on honouring our magnificent American Flag."

But in his statement aimed directly at the president, the quarterback said: "I completely missed the mark ... We must stop talking about the flag and shift our attention to the real issues of systemic racial injustice, economic oppression, police brutality, and judicial [and] prison reform. We are at a critical juncture in our nation's history! If not now, then when?

In a pair of tweets, the president said: "OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high ... We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag - NO KNEELING!"

But is it abnormal for sports stars to make their political opinions known during events?

No. There is a rich history of American sports stars highlighting injustice in their country.

American Olympians John Carlos and Tommie Smith made headlines across the world in 1968, months after the murder of Martin Luther King Jr, when they raised their gloved fists as a black power salute on the podium after winning in that year's summer games. Their iconic protest brought them death threats, and they were expelled from the games. Smith later said: "If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight."

Muhammad Ali is perhaps one of the best known American athletes to take a major political stand. The boxing champion refused to be drafted into the Vietnam War - a refusal which involved jailtime. He did so on the basis of his faith, he said, but did note the cruel irony of asking black men to fight in Vietnam for a country that has treated them as subhuman.

NBA stars have also worn their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

What happened to Kaepernick?

Kaepernick is still not currently with any NFL team, though he held an open workout with the NFL in November 2019, stirring speculation that he was being groomed for a return to the league.

While he's been off the field, he has remained busy with charity work and as a prominent civil rights activist. In his NFL career, he made a $1 million pledge to charitable organisations.

He also co-founded Know Your Rights Camp, an organisation that holds free seminars to young people. His organisation also created a Covid-19 relief fund.

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All you need to know about why NFL players are taking a knee and where it came from

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National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell issued a 1 minute and 21 second apology on 5 June, following several years of debate within the NFL as well as among fans, Donald Trump and countless pundits who criticised Colin Kaepernick and other players' silent protests against police brutality.

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Nate Boyer reacts to NFL's response to President Trump

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Nate Boyer joined Michael Eaves on SportsCenter to discuss how NFL players, coaches and owners collective response to President Trumps criticism of the players who protest during the national anthem.

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Refusing to Stand for the National Anthem: Top 3 Pros and Cons

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Article about the pros and cons of refusing to stand for the National Anthem.

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Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon thinks NFL players should be kneeling to thank God for President Trump rather than protesting during the national anthem.

"If people in this country take a knee and the national football league players want to take a knee, they should take a knee at night, every night, and thank God in heaven Donald J. Trump is president of the United States," Bannon told Fox News on Monday.

"He has saved this country so much grief. He has done such a tremendous job with virtually no help," Bannon continued.

Bannon on anthem protests: They should take a knee...every night & thank God in heaven Donald J. #Trump is President https://t.co/SZjLuXDlJ7 pic.twitter.com/Y8gKxk6lne- Fox News (@FoxNews) September 26, 2017

Trump's feud with the NFL stretched into its fifth day, as the president began his day attacking the league's ratings.

He urged the NFL to create a rule to prevent players from taking a knee during the anthem.

"The only way out for them is to set a rule that you can't kneel during our National Anthem!" Trump tweeted Monday.

The NFL has all sorts of rules and regulations. The only way out for them is to set a rule that you can't kneel during our National Anthem!- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

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Steve Bannon: NFL players should take a knee and 'thank God' Trump is president

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Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon thinks NFL players should be kneeling to thank God for President Trump rather than protesting during the national anthem. "If people in this country take a knee and the national football league players want to take a knee, they should take a knee at night, every night, and thank God in heaven Donald J.

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Nate Boyer talks about Kaepernick's decision

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Nate Boyer & Colin Kaepernick: Real Sports Bonus Clip (HBO)

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Subscribe to HBO Sports: http://itsh.bo/10qIJDl Nate Boyer, a green beret, details his conversation with Colin Kaepernick about the national anthem. Catch Real Sports anytime on HBO OnDemand, HBO GO and HBO NOW. HBO Boxing on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hboboxing HBO Boxing on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HBOboxing HBO Boxing Official Site: http://itsh.bo/HQslC8. HBO Sports on HBO GO® http://itsh.bo/ij8oqS.

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Dallas Cowboys kneel to pray, stand during national anthem

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then stand with locked arms for anthem - cnn

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Dallas Cowboys take knee, then stand with arms locked for anthem

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined his team in taking a knee before the National Anthem, then the Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals players stood with arms locked for the anthem ahead of the "Monday Night Football" kickoff.

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Dallas Cowboys kneel to pray, not protest

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"Everybody is sticking together. It's a beautiful thing."By Martin Walsh
on September 26, 2017 at 12:40pm

Advertisement - story continues below

With all the attention surrounding Dallas Cowboys' decision to kneel before the national anthem on Monday night, it appears there may have been an underlying message many missed.

Kristi Scales, a sideline reporter for the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network, said members of the organization knelt together before the national anthem in prayer, not to protest the flag.

"When @ dallascowboys knelt pregame it was in prayer for equality and unity, not during anthem. Stood arm in arm during anthem," Scales tweeted

Advertisement - story continues below

When @dallascowboys knelt pregame it was in prayer for equality and unity, not during anthem. Stood arm in arm during anthem

- KristiCowboySideline (@KristiCowboy) September 26, 2017

Many of the team's supporters agreed with the decision.

"I thought they did it right," Christina Vela, a Cowboys fan, told local CBS affiliate DFW. "You kneel before the anthem and then you stand during it. That's a respectful way to handle it."

Advertisement - story continues below

"I thought it was good. It showed unity," added fan David Garcia. "Everybody is sticking together. It's a beautiful thing."

Roughly 200 NFL players knelt during the anthem prior to NFL games on Sunday in response to comments made by President Donald Trump on Friday in which he criticized NFL players who have protested the national anthem in the past.

Many wondered what the Cowboys would do before their game on Monday night and whether they would partake any in protests.

After discussing how to make a "statement of unity," the Cowboys reportedly came to a decision not long before the game started.

Advertisement - story continues below

Before the anthem, the entire Cowboys team, including owner Jerry Jones and his family, stepped onto the field and knelt before the anthem began.

The Joneses and the entire team then walked back to the sideline and stood with their arms locked together while the anthem was sung, according to DFW.

Fans in the stadium can be heard booing the Cowboys after they take a knee.

Crowd erupts in boos as owner Jerry Jones and entire Dallas Cowboys team kneel live on Monday Night Football pic.twitter.com/ZBKt3KMXYR

- Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) September 26, 2017

After the game, Jones and Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett spoke about the decision to kneel prior to the anthem.

"The biggest thing for us was to show support and to demonstrate, but do it in a way that didn't involve the American flag and national anthem ... everybody was behind that. And so, literally, it took us up until about an hour or so prior to the game to say okay, this is what the plan is," Garrett said.

"We want everybody together, we don't want to be offensive to anyone, we don't want to step on the Arizona plan for what they had wanted to do," he said.

Jones said he was proud of his team for finding a way to show unity and promote a message of equality.

"The reason I'm particularly proud of this team is because we all agreed that our wanted to make a statement about unity and wanted to make a statement about equality," Jones said.

"It was really easy for everyone in our organization to see that the message of unity and the message of equality was getting pushed aside and diminished by the controversy," he added.

Trump sent out two tweets Tuesday morning commenting on the Cowboys decision on Monday night and the reaction from the fans in the stadium.

"The booing at the NFL football game last night, when the entire Dallas team dropped to its knees, was loudest I have ever heard. Great anger," Trump said.

The booing at the NFL football game last night, when the entire Dallas team dropped to its knees, was loudest I have ever heard. Great anger

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

But while Dallas dropped to its knees as a team, they all stood up for our National Anthem. Big progress being made-we all love our country!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

"But while Dallas dropped to its knees as a team, they all stood up for our National Anthem. Big progress being made-we all love our country!" he tweeted.

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.

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Here's Real Reason Cowboys Took Knee Before National Anthem - No One Is Talking About This

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"Everybody is sticking together. It's a beautiful thing."By Martin Walsh on September 26, 2017 at 12:40pm Advertisement - story continues below With all the attention surrounding Dallas Cowboys' decision to kneel before the national anthem on Monday night, it appears there may have been an underlying message many missed.

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Kneeling after MLK's assassination

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The timeline of kneeling during the national anthem after Kaepernick

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Editor's Note: ThinkProgress updated and relaunched its protest tracking project in an interactive database you can find here, which includes more recent data. The original story below was last updated on November 3, 2016.
It's been over two months since Colin Kaepernick was first spotted sitting down as the Star Spangled Banner was sung at a preseason NFL game because he refused to "show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color."

In a relatively short period of time, his protest of police brutality and racial injustice in the United States has captivated the country and sparked a debate not only about the state of race relations in America, but about what exactly it means to be a patriot.

As black men have continued to be killed by police - most notably Terrence Crutcher in Tulsa and Keith Scott in Charlotte - Kaepernick's initial protest has mutated and spread.

Overall, at least 49 NFL players from 13 NFL teams have knelt, sat, or raised a fist during the national anthem on game day. Three teams have linked arms or held hands as a sign of unity amidst the racial discord.

The protests aren't just confined to the NFL, either.

Fourteen WNBA players from three teams protested in the playoffs. Star soccer player Megan Rapinoe took a knee during the anthem during a NWSL game, and later when representing the U.S. national team. Gold medal swimmer Anthony Ervin raised a fist as the anthem played during a meet in Brazil. Eight NBA teams have joined arms in unity. Even national anthem singers are taking a knee.

Perhaps most significantly, protests during the anthem have occurred in at least 52 high schools, 43 colleges, one middle school, and two youth leagues in 35 states across the country and three nations abroad.

These protests have inspired far more than controversy - they've inspired conversations among people of all ages, races, and backgrounds. Thad Matta, the head coach of the Ohio State men's basketball team, even told reporters that he is going to encourage locker room conversations about the state of race relations in today's society this season. They've also inspired action -though NBA players aren't taking a knee (although some teams are locking arms in unity during the anthem, a mutation of the protest that is included in this round-up), many players and teams are taking concrete steps to improve things in their communities.

However, the peaceful protests have not come without a cost; kids as young as 11 have received death threats, and professional players have lost endorsements. One youth football team even had to cut its season short because of backlash. Still, nearly every day, more athletes of all ages take a knee during the national anthem at sporting events, and there's no indication they'll stop anytime soon.

ThinkProgress has been monitoring the spread of the movement closely. Below, you will find a timeline of the protests breaking out across the nation.
This piece will be updated regularly as new anthem protests in the sports world emerge. Please email lgibbs@thinkprogress.org if you are aware of any missing from the list.
August 26: Colin Kaepernick sits during the anthem before an NFL preseason game

San Francisco 49ers (NFL): San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Kaepernick remains seated during the national anthem at a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL.com. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

The 49ers and the NFL both expressed support for the quarterback's right to sit, but his actions sparked a stream of controversy across the league.

September 1: NFL players Eric Reid and Jeremy Lane join Kaepernick's protest

San Francisco 49ers (NFL): In the final preseason games of the year, Kaepernick's teammate Eric Reid joined him in his anthem protests. However, they decided to take a knee instead of merely remaining seated.

Reid told reporters this was a way to show that they still had respect for the anthem and military, while still bringing awareness to racial inequality and police brutality.

"We need a more substantive conversation around race relations and the way people of color are treated."

Seattle Seahawks (NFL): Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane also showed his solidarity with Kaepernick by remaining seated during the anthem.

Lane has not sat since this game. Instead, he has joined a "show of solidarity" with the rest of his teammates during the anthem.

September 2: A high school football player in Ohio kneels during anthem, receives racist threats

Brunswick High School: Ohio's Rodney Axson didn't plan on becoming the first high school athlete to join Kaepernick's protests, but when he heard his teammates using the "N-word" to describe players on the other team, he changed his mind and took a knee during the anthem.

The Brunswick High senior has received racist threats ever since.

Axson says he was called the N-word by teammates multiple times both verbally that day and in subsequent text messages.

Later in the week, a Snapchat post surfaced with a photo of a hand-written piece of paper with four "N-Words" preceded by "F - k Rodney" and followed by "Lets Lynch Ni - ers."

Since Axson's initial protest, he hasn't had a chance to take a knee again, because the anthem has been played while his team is in the locker room on game day. Brunswick police are reportedly investigating the threats. On September 16, supporters from around Ohio came to Axson's game.

September 4: Soccer star Megan Rapinoe takes a knee before NWSL game

Seattle Reign (NWSL): In what she described as a "nod to Kaepernick," Seattle Reign star Megan Rapinoe took a knee during the national anthem before her game against the Chicago Red Stars.

"I am disgusted with the way [Kaepernick] has been treated and the fans and hatred he has received in all of this," Rapinoe said. "It is overtly racist. 'Stay in your place, black man.' Just didn't feel right to me. We need a more substantive conversation around race relations and the way people of color are treated."

Her protest was thwarted at the September 7 NWSL game against the Washington Spirit, when Spirit owner Bill Lynch decided to play the anthem while the players were still in the locker room. Rapinoe did not kneel during the anthem before the September 11 Reign game.

September 6: A high-school soccer player takes a knee

Clark Montessori High School: Tom Gallagher, a white soccer player at Clark Montessori High School, takes a knee during the national anthem.

"Kaepernick is just protesting the overall inequality between races in our country," Gallagher told Cincinnati.com. "Black people, as a whole, on the socioeconomic scale, are lower than white people, and nothing is really being done about it. It can't just be people of color. It has to be people of power and privilege who help to make change. I have a responsibility."

" It has to be people of power and privilege who help to make change. I have a responsibility."

September 7: Three volleyball players at West Virginia University Tech kneel

West Virginia University Tech: Keyona Morrow, a volleyball player and the vice president of the Black Student Union at WVU Tech, knelt during the anthem along with two of her teammates.

"Everyone should be treated equally, no matter their color age, sex anything. Everyone needs to be on one page, everyone needs to be treated the same way," Morrow said.

September 8: Broncos' linebacker Brandon Marshall kneels on NFL opening night

Denver Broncos (NFL): In the nationally televised kickoff to the 2016 NFL regular season, Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall seized the spotlight and took a knee.

"I'm not against the police. I'm not against the military. I'm not against America. I'm against social injustice," Marshall told reporters. "This movement is something special."

Marshall has lost two sponsors since his action.

On September 14, he announced that he was partnering with several organizations in Denver and planned to donate $300 for every tackle he makes this season to those groups. Those donations can be tracked through the hashtag #TackleChange. He plans to keep taking a knee throughout the season.

On November 6, after eight weeks of protests, Marshall announced he would begin standing again. " I'm encouraged with the many productive discussions and progress that has taken place as the Denver Police department has decided to review its use of force policy," he wrote. " ust because I am standing doesn't mean the work will end. There's much work to be done."

On September 25, Marshall's teammate T.J. Ward joined in and took a knee.

"I took some weeks to think about doing it," Ward said, via the Denver Post. "I didn't want to jump in with everything going on around Kap and be part of a tumbleweed effect. But I dealt with it alone last night, all the way up until the moment I put my fist up."

September 9: High school football players across the country take a knee during the anthem, as does a FSU volleyball player

"I'm standing up for the injustice that happens to black people every day, not just cops killing black people."

"I'm standing up for the injustice that happens to black people every day, not just cops killing black people," Oppong said. "We are disrespected and mistreated everywhere we go on a daily basis because of our skin color and I am sick of it."

Lincoln Southeast High School: One black student and one white student at Nebraska's Lincoln Southeast High School  - Sterling Smith and Michael Baklykov - took a knee during the anthem, and plan to continue to kneel all season.

Smith explained his reasoning on Twitter:

I've learned that walking in the 'wrong neighborhood' past 10:00 o'clock wearing colored skin can get you questioned by the police because you clearly have ulterior motives. I've learned that blatant racism is only humor and that I need to 'not take it so seriously.' I've learned that going to a store will get you followed by employees because obviously your intentions are to steal. I've learned that ghetto is the new synonym for black. I've learned that addressing civil injustices placed on minority groups makes you another bitter black man who can't put the history books down.

Waggener High School: Tre Chappell, a junior running back at Waggener High in Louisville, Kentucky, was the only member of his team to kneel during the anthem on September 9.

After the game, his coach said they were looking for an "alternate gesture," so on September 16, the whole team stood during the anthem but t ook a knee and a delay of game penalty after the first play of the game.

Auburn High School: At least six s tudents from Auburn High School in Rockford, Illinois took a knee during the anthem.

Their protest has sparked a lot of conversation in the community. Jennifer Webster, the principal Damascus High School - the school Watkins Mill faced on the road on September 16- told local media that the protest has been a huge topic both on social media and inside the classroom.

"The Watkins Mill players' silent protest Friday night has started a bigger conversation that must continue so that we can deepen our understanding of one another," Webster wrote in an open letter in late September.

In early October, one of the captains of the Watkins Mill football team attended a Youth Town Hall to explain why the team was protesting.

"We face challenges that not everyone goes through on a daily basis," Brian McNeary said. "We get followed around stores and profiled while we're just walking down the street or around the corner from our school."

"I've learned that addressing civil injustices placed on minority groups makes you another bitter black man who can't put the history books down."

West Seattle High School: Players on the West Seattle High Wildcats football team take a knee.

Minneapolis North High School: Seven football players at Minneapolis North High School take a knee.

North teacher Marjaan Sirdar, who instructs at least half the team and teaches black culture, said that many of the students had just recently found out about the third verse of the national anthem, which references the death of slaves. That helped

"Society has taught [people of color] that they're not equal," Sirdar said, as reported by the Minnesota StarTribune. "The expectation is for us to celebrate a song that celebrates our murder, which is just foul."

https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/774592111983353856

Florida State University: Women's volleyball player Mara Green took a knee during the anthem before her game.

"I am unhappy with the racial tension, racial injustice and police brutality in our country," Green said. "This is my way of silently and peacefully protesting."

She has continued the protest at subsequent games.

September 10: The anthem protests continue in high schools, and spread to a youth football team, two college football teams, and even Alaska

Tulsa University: Keanu Hill, a cornerback at the University of Tulsa, takes a knee during the anthem before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The school released a statement saying they supported his decision, but that "the actions of one do not speak for an entire group and - in this instance - not for The University of Tulsa Athletics."

Beaumont Bulls: The Bulls' season was cut short after every player and almost every coach on the Bulls, an 11- and 12- year-old team prep football team, took a knee during the anthem. As news spread about their protest, the kids received death threats, and the youth league removed the head coach for actions that created "a hostile mood."

When youth league threatened to suspend their season, some of the kids continued to kneel the following week. April Parkerson, mother of one of the boys on the team, says her son would likely keep kneeling for the rest of the season.

"We've been noticed, we've been seen," Parkerson said. "Now we want to take it a step further and help bridge the gap here in the community to make a positive change. We can't just leave it where it is."

But the boys didn't get an opportunity. On October 18, the season ended early, according to the Beaumont Enterprise:

Bulls president Seterria Anderson, whose son is on the team, said the team disbanded because several players quit, leaving the Bulls without enough players. April Parkerson, another parent, said the board canceled the rest of the season over the protest.

...Since Barber was removed, some of the team's players have not attended practices or games, according to Parkerson. "We are not practicing anymore, nor did we quit," Parkerson said. She said the players would likely return if Barber was reinstated as coach. She said that about 14 players were part of that protest.

Local news reports include conflicting accounts of the incident's fallout, but after the story went viral, Snopes compiled a rundown of what happened.

West Anchorage High School: Six players in Alaska took a knee during the anthem on a Saturday afternoon game. The principal refused to let them talk to the media afterwards.

San Francisco Mission High School: Players from all races took a knee before their game, much to the surprise of their coach. Via the San Francisco Chronicle:

Every player on the roster - black, white, Latino, Asian - was on one knee, an echo of the hotly debated move by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to protest racial inequality and police brutality. In that moment, Hill said, he saw a team that had decided to experience "this historical moment" as a unit.

The coach, who is black, also had a more immediate dilemma: What am I going to do?

"I decided I'd stand for them," he said. "I'm gonna stand for my team."

The protest was let by Niamey Harris, a 17-year-old team captain and starting quarterback, who asked his teammates to join him on one knee before the game.

"This is for helping everybody else in the world to understand that black people and people of color are going though difficulties and they need help. It's not going to take care of itself," Harris told his teammates.

Woodrow Wilson High School: Woodrow Wilson High School football coach Preston Brown decided to kneel for the national anthem before his team's home opener. His entire team decided to join him.

"All my life I felt like I stood up for the national anthem as a formality," said Brown after the Tigers' 13-7 loss. "It never meant that much to me. I still love America. I have nothing against it, and I still love our military and all that they do but it was never a song that moved me. I always just closed my eyes and did it.

"All my life I felt like I stood up for the national anthem as a formality."

"(Because) of recent events that happened the last couple years, things I experienced in college being an African American student athlete in the south (at Tulane), I felt it was an appropriate time to do that."

In a moving column on Philly.com, Brown wrote that he and his players are hurting because of the constant racial profiling they face. He also noted that the comments on articles about the protests just serve to reinforce why the protest is so important.

If anyone doubted why we felt the need to call attention to the injustices we face, they only need to read the comments on the articles about our actions. From readers all around the country, we were sent images of the Confederate flag. We were repeatedly told to leave the country. "Disgusting behavior obviously by an ignorant coach," was among the nicer responses.

Brown said that the team might not kneel during every anthem, but that he and his players will focuso on implementing change, including "community service projects, the dialogue with police officials, the classroom conversation."

September 11: On the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, 14 more NFL players and one WNBA player join in the protests by taking a knee, locking arms, or raising fists

Miami Dolphins (NFL): Four Dolphins - Arian Foster, Michael Thomas, Kenny Stills, and Jelani Jenkins - take a knee during the anthem before their game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle, Washington.

Foster, Thomas, and Stills all continued to kneel the following week, while Jenkins decided to stand for the rest of the season.

"Racial, social and economic inequality is very real in this country, and it is time for real change with real results," Jenkins explained in a powerful essay for TIME Magazine. "In order to help stimulate meaningful change, sometimes it takes a controversial - but meaningful - stand."

Seattle Seahawks (NFL): The Seahawks locked arms as way to express unity.

"In this country we've gone through so much. The African American community, we've gone through a lot," Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said. "Not every police officer is a bad police officer. Not every African American is a bad person."

Their actions received criticism from some supporters of the anthem protests, including The Nation 's Dave Zirin, who said the action "ignores community organizations on the ground and treats police violence like it's a communication problem."

The team plans to continue to link arms throughout the season.

"Racial, social and economic inequality is very real in this country, and it is time for real change with real results."

New England Patriots (NFL): Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett and defensive back Devin McCourty raised their fists after the national anthem before their game in Glendale, Arizona. They did not continue the action in week 2.

Kansas City Chiefs (NFL): Marcus Peters linked arms with the rest of his team during the anthem, but raised his fist afterwards.

The following Sunday, he did not join his team on the sideline during the anthem. Instead, he hung back by the water coolers and drank water.

Tennessee Titans (NFL): Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey, linebacker Wesley Woodyard, and cornerback Jason McCourty raised their fists during the anthem. In later games, they were joined by two other teammates.

Phoenix Mercury (WNBA): Mercury center Kelsey Bone took a knee during the singing of the national anthem before the team's home game against the Atlanta Dream. According to Arizona Central, she will continue kneeling in the WNBA playoffs.

"We're not going to fix this tomorrow. We're not going to fix this today," Bone said. "We might not be the ones who benefit from this. But maybe our kids will, maybe our grandkids will."

September 12: On Monday Night Football, Kaepernick and Reid kneel, while two Los Angeles Rams raise fists

St. Louis Rams (NFL): Robert Quinn and Kenny Britt both raised their fists during the national anthem. Their opponents in the game were the 49ers, meaning Kaepernick and Reid were kneeling across the field.

Quinn continued his protest the following week, while Britt did not. By week 4, according to ESPN, defensive end William Hayes joined Quinn in raising his fist.

September 15: Entire girls' volleyball team in Minneapolis takes a knee; Rapinoe goes national

Minneapolis South High School: Every girl on the volleyball team took a knee during the anthem.

https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/776744450236317696

U.S. Women's National Soccer Team: Rapinoe took her protest up a notch when she knelt during the national anthem in the USWNT friendly match against Thailand. U.S. Soccer was not thrilled with her decision, and her teammate Carli Lloyd called her protest a " distraction."

However, Rapinoe knelt once again in the friendly against the Netherlands on September 18, and U.S. Soccer decided not to punish her.

September 16: Entire high school team in Seattle takes a knee

Garfield High School: The Garfield High School Bulldogs players and coaching staff took a knee and put their hands on one another's shoulders before a game against West Seattle High.

"Everybody wants to talk about how this is disrespectful to the American flag," Garfield coach Joey Thomas said, via the Seattle Times. "That's a smokescreen. How about we talk about the issues people are kneeling and fighting for? If we could start addressing the issues and finding solutions to the issues, we won't have to kneel."

Edina High School: Several black players in Edina, Minnesota take a knee before their Homecoming game. The athletes reportedly approached administrators beforehand, saying "they felt very strongly" about joining in the protest.

Laguna Creek High School: In Sacramento, California, 12 football players took a knee during the anthem.

"As much as people are upset about me taking a knee, I'm just as upset about racial injustices across the country."

Palm Beach Lakes High School: Three football players took a knee during the national anthem.

"Take a knee, people riot," running back Jalen Wright told local reporters. "Take a bullet, people quiet."

Jefferson County High School: In Georgia, a Jefferson County Warrior football player briefly kneels during the anthem.

September 17: Cheerleaders join in

"The backlash African-Americans are receiving right now is the exact reason for the protest," Johnson said, referring to the hate he had received since his photo of the cheerleaders went viral on Twitter. "It justifies the reason to do it in the first place."

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University of Pennsylvania: Two Penn cheerleaders also joined the protests. Junior Alexus Bazen took a knee, while junior Deena Char raised her fist.

"I believe that the climate of the world right now is very hostile," Bazen said, as reported by The Daily Pennsylvanian. "All over the news there has been brutality and violence against people of color and I truly believe in ... fighting for equality and standing up for what I believe in."

Pima Community College: Two football players on the football team knelt during the anthem before their game against Scottsdale Community College.

Illinois Weslyan University: Quincy Butler and Jamal Jackson both took a knee before IWU's game against North Central.

"I'm just doing one little thing I can do," Jackson said, as reported by Central Illinois Proud. "As much as people are upset about me taking a knee, I'm just as upset about racial injustices across the country,"

"If we could start addressing the issues and finding solutions to the issues, we won't have to kneel."

"I just felt like there needed to be some change because here you still see problems," Marquis Hubanks, a sophomore halfback and linebacker, told the Journal Sentinel. "You move around the world and you see there isn't that much equality. We don't get treated the same as everyone else. I just don't think its right."

Texas Christian University: About 20 students wore black and stayed seated for the homecoming game against Iowa State. According to TCU360, some held signs with slogans like "Unapologetic and black," and "Oppression is wrong." Others referenced Bible verses.

"We can't support a nation and a flag and an anthem that doesn't support us," Shanel Alexander, a senior and protest organizer said. The students are continuing to protest home games and have met the university chancellor with a list of demands.

September 19: Four Philadelphia Eagles raise their fists on Monday Night Football

Philadelphia Eagles (NFL): Eagles players Malcolm Jenkins, Ron Brooks, Marcus Smith, and Steven Means raised their fists during the anthem before their Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears.

"It had nothing to do with necessarily disrespecting the flag or not representing the country," Jenkins said. "The issue is about the treatment of African Americans and minorities in this country, when you talk about social injustice."

Jenkins had told reporters earlier in the week that the team was planning something, stating they had chosen not to protest on September 11. According to Pro Football Talk, a full-team action was discussed, but ultimately they decided against it:

"There were some other suggestions about doing some things as a full team," Jenkins said. "But sometimes when you look at it and you want to create an impact, holding hands or locking arms doesn't address the actual issue. Although it looks great because you're all together, the honest truth about it, some guys on the team actually don't care about the issues, which is fine. We wanted to make sure that whatever we did, if we were going to step out and stand up for something, that it was impactful and actually stuck to the message."

September 20: Middle school football coach kneels with players behind the bleachers; youth band kneels while playing anthem at MLB game

Griffin Middle School: Griffin Middle School football coach Brett Stanley and a few of his players took a knee behind the bleachers while the Star Spangled Banner played before a Tuesday night football game.

After his protest the previous week, Griffin principal Gwendolyn Thomas had threatened to cancel the game if he continued the protest.

"At this point, I don't want to take away from the kids," Stanley said, via the Tallahassee Democrat. "But I don't want to give up my rights, you know.

Oakland Unified School District: Most of the 155 students playing in the OUSD honor band took a knee towards the end of national anthem at the Oakland A's game "in protest against police brutality and unfair treatment of people of color in America."

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"I wanted us to kneel because as a country we need to have a conversation about what is going on here," 14-year-old Mikayla told Red Flag. "We have been turning our backs on murder and racism, and I was tired of not doing anything about it.

"A lot of people think that because we are kids, we aren't paying attention to what's happening in the news, but we notice a lot, and see who got shot."

September 21: Entire Indiana Fever team kneels during anthem before the kick-off to the WNBA playoffs; a white veteran shows solidarity

Indiana Fever (WNBA): In a momentous action, the entire Indiana Fever team linked arms and took a knee while the anthem was played before their sudden-death playoff game against the Phoenix Mercury.

According to Tameka Catchings, who was playing in the final game of her legendary basketball career, the players did not tell their coach, Stephanie White, what they were doing beforehand. But she was not angry in the least.

"When we got into the huddle," Catchings said, "(White) looked at each one of us and said she was proud of us."

After the game, White explained why she was so please with her team's decision, as reported by Gregg Doyle of the Indianapolis Star.

"Something like this creates conversation, and that's how we create change," she said. "We don't create change by seeing it on the news and waiting until next time. People who have the platforms have the ability to affect change, and I'm proud of our group for using the platform in a respectful manner."

Phoenix Mercury (WNBA): The Fever were inspired to take a knee by the Mercury's Kelsey Bone, who had been taking a knee during the anthem for the past few games.

Bone continued to kneel in the playoff game, and this time was joined by her teammate, Mistie Bass.

Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School: Brebeuf Jesuit goalkeeper Lauren Turner took a knee by herself during the anthem before the soccer team played on Wednesday night in Indianapolis.

"The reason behind (kneeling) was the shooting in Oklahoma that happened two days ago," Turner said, referring to the murder of Terrence Crutcher. "I've always just been interested in how blacks have been treated throughout history and I think it's just important for everybody to realize what's actually going on."

"Our young people are hurting, and we must listen and hear their pain."

DeSoto High School: Several members of the DeSoto High School girls' volleyball team in Texas took a knee during the national anthem. According to NBC5, players told reporters "the next black man shot could be their dad, brother or boyfriend."

DeSoto school board president Carl Sherman released a statement supporting their action:

Our students are witnessing the erosion of the 14th amendment right before their eyes. A lesson in liberty and justice, once reserved for textbooks, is now on full display in streets across our Nation. One can only imagine the fear in their hearts watching these events unfold. Our young people are hurting, and we must listen and hear their pain. As an institution of learning, we are charged with preparing our students to become problems solvers and productive citizens; not to stifle their innovation or rejection of complacency. None of us have the right to infringe on the rights extended to our young people as American citizens.

The volleyball players received a lot of criticism. Al Woolum, a white navy veteran, saw how the media and fans were treating the players, so he showed up at their next game in a "Black Lives Matter" t-shirt and took a knee during the anthem.

"The decision they made to kneel at their last game, they caught a lot of flak for that. I saw that on the news," he reportedly said. "I looked when their next game was, and I came to support them to let them know somebody in the white community cares."

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At the football game later that week, a few DeSoto cheerleaders took a knee as well.

September 22: Houston Texan Duane Brown raises a fist on Thursday Night football; a referee takes a knee

Houston Texans: As protests erupted in Charlotte, North Carolina over the police killing of Keith Scott, Houston Texan Duane Brown raised his fist on the sidelines during the national anthem.

Wilmington, North Carolina: Jeff Hibbert, a football official for North Carolina high schools, has taken a knee at the last two games he has refereed in order to generate conversation about the state of race relations and police brutality in his local community.

As reported by WECT in Wilmington:

For Hibbert, it's a topic that hits close to home. Just last year when coming home from a football game, he was pulled over and feared for his own life.

"When he pulled me, he had his pistol and said put your hands where I can see them," Hibbert explained. "When I tell you I was truly frightened, I was frightened."

Hibbert hopes that actions taken by athletes and himself can cause change and save lives.

"I must say I have a pretty good son and I worry about that. And I have to teach him what to do. And I hope it's enough to save his life," Hibbert said.

September 23: Protest spreads in WNBA playoffs; Louisiana sheriffs threaten boycott of high school football game if protests continue; racist threats

New York Liberty (WNBA): Liberty guard Brittany Boyd arrived to the WNBA playoff game against the Mercury wearing a Kaepernick jersey, and she remained in her seat during the anthem.

"The message that [Kaepernick's] delivering, I'm 100 percent behind him, and I agree with everything that he's trying to change in the world," Boyd said, as reported by the New York Times. "For me, it was just showing what I represent and the respect I have for him and what he's doing. As an African-American male in America today, what he's doing is hard to do."

The rest of the Liberty players linked arms during the anthem, as did the Mercury. Mercury players Bass and Bone continued to kneel just as they had two days prior.

Withrow High School: Almost all the players on the predominately black Withrow football team in Cincinnati, Ohio took a knee or raised a fist during the national anthem.

West Charlotte High School: Amid the protests in Charlotte, players on the West Charlotte football team took a knee during the anthem and the team's cheerleaders wore black shirts with a symbolic closed fist emblem on them.

"We just wanted to show that black lives do matter."

Aurora Central High School: About half of the Aurora Central football team knelt during the anthem at the team's homecoming night. Some coaches and parents joined in. While many fans in the stands were not happy, the school district is using the protest as a way to have important conversations about race relations.

""You can't continue to slap people in the face and not expect them to stand up," junior tight end Vicqari Horton told the New York Times in October. "When Kaepernick kneeled, he gave us an outlet. He gave us something to do."

"Aurora Public Schools staff members respect the right of our students to protest in a peaceful manner," the district said in a statement. "We are using this opportunity as a teachable moment and a catalyst for meaningful dialogue."

Grovetown High School: At least three Grovetown players - black and white - took a knee during the anthem, while at least two others turned their back while it was played.

"We talked about it in the locker room," Grovetown junior linebacker Shamar Cofield said, as reported by The Augusta Chronicle. "We just wanted to show that black lives do matter."

Lakewood High School: At least five football players from Lakewood raise a fist during the national anthem.

Bonnabel High School: A few football players and cheerleaders at Bonnabel High took a knee during anthem as a nod to Kaepernick, and as a result, several members of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office have refused to work voluntary security shifts at future Bonnabel games.

According to the New Orleans Advocate, security at games is not expected to be an issue.

Oberlin College: The entire field hockey team took a knee before a homecoming match against Ohio Wesleyan University.

"[We want] to express to fellow students, community members and people everywhere that we will not accept racial violence and police brutality as a part of our country," senior captain Maureen Coffey told the Oberlin Review.

Macalester College: Pia Mingkwan, a member of the Minnesota school's women's soccer team, began taking a knee during the anthem before a home game against nearby Hamline University.

On November 4, Macalester wide receiver published an op-ed about why he began kneeling during the anthem.

September 24: Nine colleges join in and some players get death threats; Bates College players kneel; Kaepernick visits an Oakland high school football team that takes the protest to the next level

University of Nebraska: Three Nebraska football players - linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey, defensive end DaiShon Neal, and linebacker Mohamed Barry - took a knee during the national anthem before their game at Northwestern.

Rose-Ivey said that after his actions, he and his teammates received messages on social media calling them the n-word, even saying they "hung before the anthem."

The also received harsh criticism from Gov. Pete Ricketts, who called the act "disgraceful" and "disrespectful." University regents chimed in too.

"It wasn't their forum to take advantage of and use as a Colin Kaepernick cloning situation," regent Hal Daub said. "Everyone will say the First Amendment gives them the right, but they shouldn't be able to take advantage of the captive market of the football team and the university's reputation."

However, many from the community offered support to the players - including their head coach, Mike Riley.

In the weeks since, about 150 emails sent to top school officials have revealed the administration and Nebraska fans' division over the protests.

University of Michigan: Several Michigan players raised their first during the national anthem.

"[Kaepernick] has given so many people a voice and courage to stand up for what we believe is right, just like the people who came before us and sacrificed so much for our freedom and for us to have a voice today," linebacker Mike McCray wrote on Twitter.

In October, 14 Wolverines raised their fists during the pregame anthem -  in front of coach Jim Harbaugh, who previously criticized Kaepernick's protests.

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Michigan State University: Three Spartans - defensive end Gabe Sherrod, fullback Delton Williams, and safety Kenney Lyke - raised their right fists during the anthem before the football game at Spartan Stadium.

Their head coach Mark Dantonio supported their decision.

Time to represent this movement publicly!! Our lives matter too and even us privileged college students fear for our lives around the police

- Gabe Sherrod (@ges88_) September 20, 2016

The following week, nine players raised their fists.

University of North Carolina: Before the UNC-Pittsburgh football game, a group of about 100 students of all different races remained seated and raised their fists during the national anthem. On the field, a few members of the marching band took a knee while playing the anthem as well.

"We're trying to get the awareness that the police are getting out of hand."

Southern Methodist University: Five members of SMU's band, along with a few students in the stands, took a knee during the anthem before the school's football game against Texas Christian University.

"I feel like coming from an African American background - I grew up in Detroit, Michigan, which is a predominantly black city - that I get tired of seeing my black brothers and sisters dying from injustices and unjustified reasons," Coda Boyce, one of the protesters, told Sports Day.

Dickson State University: In North Dakota, Five Dickson State players linked arms during the anthem as a way to protest police brutality and racial injustice without offending anyone.

"Right now, at this point in time in the world, it's difficult for colored people, and I'm not going to say blacks because it's more than blacks. It's browns, it's reds. It's police brutality," running back Tray Boone said.

"We're trying to get the awareness that the police are getting out of hand. I'm not going to go completely against the police, because the police are people, too. Especially with what's going on in Charlotte, they're scared for their lives also."

Eastern Michigan University: After a tense week on campus due to the racist graffiti found on campus, rumors spread that an anthem protest was in the works for the football game. But because of a worry for the "s afety of security of everyone involved," the anthem was played before the football team and band even got onto the field.

However, students merely protested after the game instead.

Concordia University-St. Paul: A few players from the Concordia football team took a knee on the sidelines during the anthem.

Millikin University: Several football players at this Illinois-based Christian school took a knee during the National Anthem at a football game, causing controversy on campus. On October 7, the team changed direction in a statement:

After listening to those who both agree and disagree with our stance, we have chosen to forge a new path.

...Therefore, rather than have our message be misunderstood or misconstrued, we are united in our decision to stay in the locker room until kickoff during which time we will engage in a moment of reflection to personally recognize the sacrifice of so many and renew our commitment to living up to those most important words: "with liberty and justice for all."

May God Bless America.

The Millikin University Football Team

The entire football team stayed in their locker room as the anthem played on their Oct. 15 game -  except one lone student, Connor Brewer, who told media he would not yet comment publicly.

Amherst College: Thirteen players on the Amherst College football team took a knee or raised a fist during the national anthem before a game against Hamilton College.

"There's times when I really don't feel loved by this country," running back Raheem Jackson told the Daily Hampshire Gazette. "I just felt compelled as a man, I can't speak for anyone else, but as an adult I felt compelled to take a knee."

"I have a problem with the national anthem," wide receiver A.J. Poplin, who like Jackson is a senior, added. "The last words are the land of the free and the home of the brave. And if I'm not feeling free, I'm going to have the bravery to stand up for what I truly believe in."

"There's times when I really don't feel loved by this country."

Three members of the Amherst men's soccer team took a knee during the anthem a few weeks later, including senior Douglass Jamison.

"I did it for solidarity with the black community," Jamison said, "once again reinvigorating the conversation about police brutality in this country and just how African-Americans are treated."

Nottingham High School: Six players on the Nottingham High football team take a knee during the anthem. Meanwhile, a player on the opposing team, Proctor High School, went and grabbed the American flag from the color guard and ran it around the field.

Madison East High School: More than two dozen football players from Madison East took a knee in the middle of the field as the anthem played before their game, while a few of their opponents from Madison West High School took a knee on the sidelines as well.

Barringer High School: At least seven football players and two assistant coaches took a knee during the anthem before the game in Irvington, New Jersey.

"We see how the cops are treating people and I don't stand for that, and I don't think the national anthem should stand for that," senior Isaiah Gordon told NJ.com. "Until that changes, I'm not going to stand up. I'm going to keep kneeling."

Tamalpais High School: Six players on the Tamalpais High School football team took a knee before their game, inspired by the recent police killings of Terrence Crutcher and Keith Scott.

Tre'Chaun Berkley, one of the protesters, told the Marin Independent Journal that he is taking a knee because he knows the "everything that's going on could happen to me."

Berkely said he has been profiled by police before:

The first came as he exited the bus coming home from practice. He was quickly surrounded by a few patrol cars, and officers asked to search his football bag, saying he fit the description of a suspect they sought, Berkley said. One officer drew his gun as others surrounded Berkley, he said, then put the weapon down upon discovering Berkley was clean.

Later that season, he and a friend were walking outside when two white officers stopped the pair and put them in handcuffs for walking in the street, rather than on the sidewalk, Berkley said.

Penns Grove High School: About half of the New Jersey high school football team took a knee during the anthem.

Castlemont High School: Colin Kaepernick gave a pre-game speech to the players at Castlemont High in Oakland, California, and the players responded by lying on the sidelines with their hands in the air during the national anthem- a protest called a "die-in."

"You are important. You make a difference. This matters," Kaepernick, who took a knee beside the players, told the team before the game. "Everything you do matters.

"That's what this is about. I had to come support y'all, because the same y'all took a stand and stood with me, I had to come out here and stand with y'all. So I appreciate what y'all did. I love y'all, y'all my brothers. I'm here with you."

College of the Holy Cross: About 130 administrators, students and community members staged a sit-in during the anthem at the homecoming football game. Their aim, a school administrator said, was to "demonstrate solidarity and express their own concerns about issues of inequality and injustice."

Kealakehe High School: Mason Kaawa-Loa, a senior at Kealakehe High in Kailau-Kona, Hawaii was inspired by Kaepernick to take a knee before football games to protest the injustices Native Hawaiian people experience in the United States.

Macalester College: Four football players at the Minnesota liberal arts school took a knee during the national anthem before their game against Grinnell College. The next game, two more teammates joined their protest.

Football player Chance Carnahan said he always supported Kaepernick's protest, but wasn't sure how others would view the protest. After speaking with his teammates, he decided to kneel as well.

"I completely disagree [that it's disrespectful to kneel]," he told The Mac Weekly. "As football players we take a knee a lot. After practice everyday we take a knee when we talk to our coach; we're showing respect towards him. When we take a knee during the national anthem, we're showing that we still have respect for our country, respect for our flag, respect for our military, but at the same time we recognize that there are a lot of issues that we're overlooking... and I'm trying to bring attention to that."

Bates College: Football player Mickoy Nichol decided to begin taking a knee before Bates' game against Trinity College.

"I initially wasn't going to do it, but then I saw a picture on the internet of three Eagles players standing with their fists raised... and across the picture was 'get these n*****s off the TV,'" Nichol told The Bates Student. "I was like whoa, this is really a problem."

He approached his coaching staff, who gave him their full support,as well as his teammates. Three other players decided to join him.

"A lot of my white friends who don't play a sport came to the game and they see me taking a knee, and they're asking me why I'm doing it," he said. "And that's exactly what I wanted to bring from this, to create conversations."

September 25: The number of NFL players involved in anthem protests surpasses 40; gold medal Team USA swimmer Anthony Ervin raises a fist in Brazil

Indianapolis Colts (NFL): Cornerback Antonio Cromartie becomes the first Colt to join in the protests when he takes a knee during the anthem.

"Everyone wants to say all lives matter, but until black lives start to matter, all lives don't matter," he told the Indianapolis Star. "That's what people need to start looking at. When you take a knee, you're talking about everything that goes on in this country."

In late October, Cromatrie's wife wrote on Instagram that he was cut from the team because of his protest.

Washington R**skins (NFL): Four Washington players - DeSean Jackson, Greg Toler, Niles Paul, and Rashad Ross - raised their fists during the national anthem.

"We just want to make a stand, and I think putting our fists up to support our culture is something important. We feel like something dramatic needs to happen in this society, in our country now with all the things going on, the conversation," Jackson said after the game to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

On October 2, wide receiver DeSean Jackson risked NFL fines by wearing a pair custom cleats with a yellow caution tape design while warming up for a game against the Browns. "I've seen enough yellow caution tape and it's time for a stand and a change in our community and society," Jackson told TMZ. NFL rules prohibit players from wearing shoes that are not black or white with a team color.

"I've seen enough yellow caution tape and it's time for a stand and a change in our community and society."

"Today is the start of my attempts to be part of a solution and start dialogue about the senseless killings of both citizens and police," Jackson said in a statement. "...I just want to express my concern in a peaceful and productive way about issues that are currently impacting this country."

Jackson didn't wear the shoes during the game, but did wear them for the national anthem.

Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL): Four Jaguars - Dante Fowler Jr., Jared Odrick, Telvin Smith, and Hayes Pullard - raised their right fists during the anthem. Wide receiver Allen Robinson didn't participate in the anthem protest, but he did strike a " hands up, don't shoot " pose after he scored a touchdown.

Oakland Raiders (NFL): Raiders Bruce Irvin and Malcolm Smith raised their fists in the air during the anthem before their game against the Titans.

"I've talked about it, I've thought about it, but I wasn't going to do it until I saw a little girl in the stands try to put her fist up and her mom slapped her hand down," Smith said after the game, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. "I just felt like you've got a voice, you should be able to use it no matter the circumstances. You've got a point of view, you should be able to use it.

" I wasn't going to do it until I saw a little girl in the stands try to put her fist up and her mom slapped her hand down."

Carolina Panthers (NFL): Panthers safety Marcus Ball raised his right fist during the anthem, as riot police gathered outside the stadium to protect the game from the ongoing protests in Charlotte.

His fellow safety Tre Boston told reporters that the team is still trying to decide a way to protest as a full team going forward.

"We're going to find a way so that nobody can twist what we are trying to do, nobody can misinterpret the direction we want to go with our protest," Boston said. "We want to find a way that everybody is included, so nobody can say, 'You left out this person.' We want to make sure it's unity. We need it here in Charlotte."

San Diego Chargers (NFL): Five Chargers - Joe Barksdale, Chris Hairston, Joshua Perry, King Dunlap, and D.J. Fluker - raised fists during the national anthem. By week 4 of the protests, according to ESPN, tackle Tyreek Burwell joined them and Dunlap stopped.

San Francisco 49ers (NFL): In the past few weeks, more of Kaepernick's teammates have joined in the protests. Eli Harold joined Kaepernick and Reid on one knee, and five players - Antoine Bethea, Rashard Robinson, Jaquiski Tartt, Keith Reaser and Mike Davis - raised their fists during the anthem.

Anthony Ervin (USA Swimming): In August, Ervin won an Olympic gold medal in swimming. A month later, he returned to Brazil for another swim meet and not only won, but made a significant social statement along the way when he raised his fist during the national anthem.

What's so deep about this? Anthony said to me weeks ago, he loved Kap but wouldn't protest anthem, but after recent events, was moved to act

- Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) September 29, 2016

September 26: Falcons and Saints form a circle together midfield after the anthem

Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints: Neither team had any protesters during the anthem itself, but right after it finished, the two division rivals held hands and joined midfield to create a circle. ESPN reports it was the idea of Saints head coach Sean Payton.

Saints running back Mark Ingram said that it was very important to raise the issue of racial inequality while also acting in unison.

"We want it to be all, everybody, because that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to bring everybody together. Our nation needs to come together. Everybody needs to care for each other," Ingram said. "And that's what's so good about sports. It brings everybody together, no matter what race. These are my brothers in here. Guys I played with in the past, those are my brothers. You don't see color. You just see a guy who you work hard with and go to battle with and work with every single day.

"I understand that there's differences when you go out to the real world, so we just want to set an example, and we want to bring unity. We want everybody to be together and don't want to do anything that causes division or controversy."

September 27: All 18 players on Rochester high school soccer team kneel

World of Inquiry School: The entire Inquiry team took a knee to protest violence against black people by police in America. According to the Democrat & Chronicle, most of the players are young men of color and many are immigrants.

"We can't pretend like police brutality and race relations (aren't) a very big issue," 17-year-old Miguel Camilo Lopez told the Democrat & Chronicle in October. By then he was one of a few players continuing to kneel, and his family said their house had been vandalized as a result. "(This) brings to light issues that are bigger than soccer and bigger than ourselves."

The school district said they would use this as a "teachable moment."

Benbrook Middle-High School: A 15-year-old volleyball player knelt during the anthem before her game in Springfield, Texas, according to Fox4News. She received criticism from peers and parents since, but fans grew more supportive in the following weeks.

September 28: Soccer players in a N.C. high school take a knee

Seventy-First High School: Justice Sharpe and four of his teammates have been taking knees at soccer matches across Eastern North Carolina since the death of Keigh Lamott Scott.

"It's not logical to stand for something that doesn't stand for you," Sharpe said, as reported by the Fayetville Observer. "I just feel when the anthem was written, it was not taking us into account. Liberty and justice for all was not for us."

"It's not logical to stand for something that doesn't stand for you."

Sharpe, who is a junior and a co-captain on the team, told reporters that he has been questioning the anthem since he was in sixth grade. His father is in the special forces, so he stressed that he has respect for the military, but that he could no longer be silent about injustices.

"It's an accumulation of all the injustices," Sharpe said. "Because for decades my people have accomplished things by peaceful protest, this way is the best way. Obviously it's getting heard, so it's a good thing."

September 30: Cheerleaders and marching band members kneel in Nebraska

Omaha Central High School: In Omaha, Nebraska, six cheerleaders and members of the marching band's saxophone section knelt during the national anthem at a football game, according to Omaha Sports Insider.

"There's unjust things going on with African-Americans in the United States, and we feel it as black people," LaShanda Loftin, mother of one of the protesting cheerleaders, told the Omaha World-Herald. "She asked me if she should do it, and I told her to do what's in her heart."

Cornell High School: Twelve of the 15 cheerleaders for Cornell High took a knee during the anthem at the football game in Pennsylvania on Friday night. Not everyone was impressed.

"They don't know what they are doing, them young kids. They don't know what they are doing," WWII Army veteran Danny Larocco told Channel 11 News.

After a video of the protest went viral, a wave of backlash, including death threats and more than 600 angry phone calls to the school, caused the school to reschedule its homecoming dance. The school district also issued a formal apology to veterans.

Lincoln High School: Several football players from Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon took a knee and raised a fist during the anthem. The head coach gave them permission to do so before the game.

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Dunbar High School: A few Dunbar football players took a knee and raised their hands hands during the national anthem in Dayton, Ohio.

Crenshaw High School: Football players took a knee before a game against Oxnard High School.

October 1: The NBA protests begin in Toronto; students stay seated in Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas; Ithaca player raises fist

Toronto Raptors (NBA): Members of the only Canada-based NBA franchise brought the protests up north by locking arms in solidarity during the Canadian and U.S. anthems before the opening preseason game in Vancouver.

The protest at the game against the Golden State Warriors came as no surprise: Head coach Dwayne Casey told the Toronto Star last week that the team was considering joining the protests, saying, "All I tell our guys is to be informed...don't do it just for the sake of doing something or saying something."

"All I tell our guys is to be informed...don't do it just for the sake of doing something or saying something."

Forward Jared Sullinger and guard Terrence Ross haven't been shy in social media posts against racial injustices and police brutality, and guard DeMar DeRozan told the Star about a close friend who was killed by police recently - shot 17 times.

"Me having two younger black kids, making sure people are aware that me growing up, definitely getting pulled over was a scary thing, and definitely was a nervous thing," point guard Kyle Lowry said. "I think now we have to use our voices."

East Carolina University: During the playing of the national anthem before East Carolina's football match against Central Florida, 19 members of ECU's marching band knelt. But there was diversity amid the protest: some did not playing their instruments, and two members decided to instead hold up a U.S. flag. "We wanted to do it, not to show division, but to show that there are so many different ideas within the band...and that flag is what we are all unified under," Hunter Marketto, one of the two students holding the flag, told WITN.

When the team returned for half-time, the crowd booed them loudly. University music school administrators have since said the protest "felt hurtful to many in our Pirate family and disrespectful to our country." Such gestures will not be tolerated moving forward, they said in a statement. An ECU marketing professor reportedly now plans to carry firearms on campus as part of a counter-protest, and a local ESPN affiliate says it will not air ECU's October 8 game against South Florida. ECU's chancellor, however, said the student protest "is part of the free exchange of ideas on a university campus."

Kansas University: In a home match against Baylor, Kansas' volleyball team knelt together before the national anthem, locking arms while the announcer asked fans to reflect on how they could help create "a more just, respectful and inclusive nation." Players told the Kansas City Star they began discussing the move after Tulsa police officers killed Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man in September. But they decided disrespecting the anthem didn't feel right.

"They all said, 'Hey, we love our country. We love our flag,'" coach Ray Bechard told the Star. "'But is there some way we can challenge everybody in the gym today maybe just to be a little better person when it comes to the decisions we make about other people and how we treat each other?'"

"[I]s there some way we can challenge everybody in the gym today maybe just to be a little better person when it comes to the decisions we make about other people and how we treat each other?"

University of Alabama: A group of about 30 students stayed seated as the anthem played before the Crimson Tide beat the Kentucky Wildcats. One of the organizers, junior Dwyer Freeman, told the Crimson White their protest was an act of solidarity for those "harmed under the flag that's supposed to represent them."

Marist College: The Marist College Black Student Union knelt behind the end zone during the national anthem before the Marist football game on Saturday.

"If we don't "stand" for something, we will fall for anything," Black Student Union President Ashley Kayne told the Red Fox Report, adding that the protest was not just about the treatment of black people across the county, but also about the discrimination they faced on campus. The football team locked arms during the anthem.

El Camino College: Sophomore tight end Erik Henneman took a knee during the anthem before a football game against Bakersfield College.

"I was always taught to stand for something or you will fall for anything," Henneman, who said he had been a victim of police brutality before, told The Union. "To me it represents standing up for the police brutality against African Americans."

Missouri Western State University: After taking a knee during the national anthem, two members of the Mystics dance team were not allowed to perform at a game.

"I will always be black," Eugenia Wallace told NewsPressNow.com. "Whatever we can do to bring awareness and justice anywhere for our culture and our society as a whole, I'm going to do."

On the October 15 homecoming game, a group of MWSU students stayed seated during the national anthem.

Florida State University: Before FSU's football game against UNC, about 200 fans dressed in black remained seated during the national anthem and raised their fists in protests.

"[Kaepernick] brought awareness to a topic that is really easy to sweep under the rug," FSU student Marvel Joseph, who helped organize the protest, told FSUNews.com. "Him sitting down started a conversation, which was maybe not in the way that he planned because there were people that didn't understand why he was standing and failed to realize that he's doing this to bring attention to issues that affect our community."

Ithaca College: Senior running back Shawahl Abdur-Rahman held up his fist as the anthem played before a home game against Utica College. "I decided to stand side-by-side with my brothers on the team while I still brought up an issue that I felt personally for me, being a black player and a black person in general," Abdur-Rahman told The Ithacan. " ... Just show my support to Kaepernick and his protests and let him know that it has reached a little town like Ithaca."

"Just show my support to Kaepernick and his protests and let him know that it has reached a little town like Ithaca."

October 2: Antonio Cromartie takes the anthem protest to London

Portland Trail Blazers (NBA): The Blazers huddled in a circle during the National Anthem before the preseason game, and Damian Lillard said it was in conjunction with Kaepernick's protest.

"I'm a proud American, but the reason behind the protesting, I share that same belief,'' Lillard said. "I share the same feeling, being an African American. Obviously, every other guy on the team shares that belief as well.''

Indianapolis Colts (NFL): Cornerback Antonio Cromartie took a knee during the U.S. national anthem at London's Wembley Stadium before the NFL's first international game of the season. After becoming the first athlete to join Kaepernick's protests in the U.K., he stood back up for "God Save the Queen."

October 3: The Milwaukee Bucks say it's not a protest, but ...

Milwaukee Bucks (NBA): The Milwaukee Bucks all stood with one hand over their hearts and one hand on the shoulder of their teammates during the anthem.

While Bucks coach Jason Kidd insisted that this wasn't actually a protest, not everyone sees it that way.

"We're showing unity. There's not a protest," Kidd said, according to ESPN. "We discussed it, and I think there was a lot of discussion throughout the week. The guys have come up with a solution of what they want to do for the national anthem.

Either way, it's clear that this is an off-shoot of Kaepernick's original action.

"A protest means that players would be fined; unity means that players get to skip paying hefty fees for taking a stand against police killings of unarmed black men, women and children," Stephen A. Crockett Jr. wrote on The Root. " We see you, J. Kidd. This is not a protest; this is unity. Right, got you."

October 4: NBA's Lakers, Kings, Celtics, Knicks, Wizards, and Rockets lock arms in solidarity during anthems

Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings (NBA): When the anthem began before their pre-season match, players from both sides of the court stood up. But all locked arms with their teammates and bowed their heads.

"We wanted to honor what was going on and the people who lost their lives and the social issue that is happening," Lakers center Tarik Black told NBCLA.com. "There is something going on. There is something that needs to happen. There needs to be equality."

The gesture from the world's most famous basketball team didn't come as unexpected, and players say they plan to continue their protest until the issue itself ends.

"There's someone new that's a hashtag every week," Lakers guard Lou Williams told the LA Times days before. "For me it's not about black people, it's not about white people. It's about getting killed and getting slaughtered in the street over childish crimes."

"For me it's not about black people, it's not about white people. It's about getting killed and getting slaughtered in the street over childish crimes."

Boston Celtics (NBA): Players and coaching staff alike joined hands as the anthem played before the Celtics' opening match against the Philadelphia 76ers.

"We've had a lot of sit-down discussions about it," head coach Brad Stevens told reporters before the game. "We've had a lot of individual discussions. We've had three or four meetings with the team after practices...Our guys have been incredibly thoughtful."

Houston Rockets and New York Knicks (NBA): Players from the Knicks and Rockets locked arms together -as members of both teams stood arm in arm along a single sideline- as the anthem played before their game at Houston's Toyota Center. It was the Knicks' preseason opener, and the second game for the Rockets, who hadn't previously protested the anthem.

"It was definitely about two teams coming together,'' Joaquim Noah said. "We understand there are issues in this country and we wanted to show solidarity that we're all in this together.''

Washington Wizards (NBA): The Wizards locked arms while the anthem was played in preseason as a "peaceful protest."

"I'm not in favor of what's been going on in the country, what's been going on in recent past or the retaliation on both ends," Wizards star Bradley Beal told the Washington Post.

"I'm from St. Louis. I've been hit home with all type of stuff over the past couple years, with guys that have been friends that I've lost to individual violence and police violence. ... We're all doing it because we want something done about it. We're realizing that we're still citizens of this world even though we're NBA players. We still have a voice, and we're using it, and this is our best way of doing it."

October 5: Penn State students remain seated and raise their fists

Penn State University: At a Penn State women's volleyball game, more than 60 students wearing black clothing remained seated during the national anthem and raised their fists.

"We just came to let people know that it's time for a change," Nicole Telfer, one of the protesters, told WeAreCentralPA.com.

"It makes everybody aware that we're not going to stand for police brutality," Marquan Boyd added.

October 6: Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons stand arm-in-arm to acknowledge issues

Brooklyn Nets (NBA): Jeremy Lin had been talking about joining Kaepernick's wave of protests for a few weeks, but instead of taking a knee by himself, he decided to lock arms with his teammates, as reported by the New York Post:

"The biggest thing is it shows we all can acknowledge there is an issue at hand. But how you go about that is what we tried to do; arms around each other, solidarity, we're doing this together,'' Lin said. "This isn't anti-cops. This country needs cops. This isn't anti-minority. This country needs minorities. This is what makes our nation great. We need both. We need more compassion, and more empathy.

"Or maybe not empathy, but maybe more sympathy, where guys take the time to really put themselves in someone else's shoes. If I'm a minority, I'd have to think about what it's like to be the wife of a cop, scared every time her husband has to go to work. If I'm on the other side, I have to be able to think about what it's like to be the family member of an African-American male who might get [killed]."

Detroit Pistons (NBA): On the other side of the court at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Pistons - players and coaches alike - locked arms.

"It definitely showed unity to the league," Pistons forward Marcus Morris told MLive.com. "I think it's more a league-wide thing. Most of the team wanted to do it, so we got involved.

"Personally, I don't think that's enough, but you've got to start somewhere."

October 7: Nuggets and Lakers lock arms; high schoolers in Colorado and Indiana kneel

Denver Nuggets (NBA): Members of the Nuggets and their competition, the the Los Angeles Lakers, linked arms in solidarity as the anthem played before their preseason game. The Lakers have previously locked arms during the anthem.

Sierra High School: Five football players in Colorado Springs, Colorado took a knee during the anthem, according to Gazette Preps.

"We have these great discussions at home, my husband and my children, but I think that sometimes it has to go beyond just a discussion; there has to be some active participation," said Keyla Jones, an alumna of the school who brought her children to the protest. "So this was an opportunity for them to participate in a very peaceful way."

Amherst High School: All but one member of the Amherst high school girls' volleyball team took a knee during the anthem.

"They are simply protesting the incidents of police over-reach (to put it mildly), but in no way are they trying to offend veterans or paint all police officers with the same broad brush....they expressed those exact thoughts to me," Amherst coach Kacey Schmitt wrote in an email to parents after the game. "When I brought up the fact that they have to be prepared for some backlash, one of them stated 'So, should no one do what they believe is right, because it might upset someone else? Isn't this about open discourse, and starting a conversation?' Hard to argue with that."

Little Rock Parkview: Football coaches were seen taking a knee as the anthem played before the school's homecoming game against Beebe High School.

October 8: Youth group kneels and police are called

Woodland Hills Wolverines: Three 12- and 13-year-old members of a youth football team in Bethel Hill, Pennsylvania took a knee during the anthem. Observers began hurling racial slurs at them, and the police had to be called to stand guard.

"It seemed like everything started once the national anthem started," head coach Marcus Burkley Sr. told Channel 11 News. "Two or three of my players took a knee. Once they took a knee, you see cameras and people taking pictures. And out of nowhere you hear, 'If the little N-word want to take a knee, they shouldn't be able to play.'"

"'If the little N-word want to take a knee, they shouldn't be able to play," they heard from the stands.

Now, Buckley and a group of "concerned citizens" is pushing Parkway Youth Football to conduct an independent investigation into the racist behavior, and plans to kneel in solidarity with the kids, according to TribLive.com.

Central Michigan University: Four football players at Central Michigan - Ray Golden, Marcel Ray, Emmett Thomas, and Tyree Waller - raise their fists before the football game against Ball State.

"What that meant to us was highlighting issues that are going on in our country. In light of the recent events, we wanted to bring awareness to social injustice and show our fellow Americans that we're with them and we want to highlight change," Golden told Central Michigan Life.

Indiana University: Junior cornerback Richard Fant raised a fist during the national anthem with the full support of his head coach and the University.

"If I can find a way to have an impact, to touch people's lives, I am going to do it," Fant told iuhoosiers.com. "That is my passion."

University of Akron: On Homecoming weekend, dozens of students, mostly African Americans, remained seated during the national anthem at the football game. Many raised their fists.

"We're all affected by the things that's going on with the police brutality," student Joseph Gogins told wkyc.com. "And being a black male at a predominantly white institution, and by me working graveyard shifts, I worry every night going to and from my job because I walk."

Minnesota State University: Approximately 60 students at Minnesota State's Homecoming game dressed in black and remained seated during the national anthem. Many in the group, which was mostly black, held Black Lives Matter signs as the predominately white students jeered around them.

October 10: NBA national anthem singer takes a knee while singing

Leah Tysse: While singing the national anthem before the Sacramento Kings game, Tysse took a knee at the end of the anthem while she was singing the word " free."

She explained her decision on her Facebook page:

"I cannot idly stand by as black people are unlawfully profiled, harassed and killed by our law enforcement over and over and without a drop of accountability. ...

"Whether or not you can see if from your vantage point, there is a deep system of institutionalized racism in America, from everyday discrimination to disproportionate incarceration of people of color to people losing their lives at the hands of the police simply for being black. This is not who we claim to be as a nation. It is wrong and I won't stand for it. #Solidarity."

October 12: Singer holds vigil during anthem

Shaprece: The R&B vocalist sang the national anthem before the Seattle Sounders FC game while dressed in black, holding candles, and flanked by local choir members and breast cancer survivors.

Shaprece told The Stranger she decided against kneeling or raising her first since she would be the one leading the anthem. So she worked with Sounders management to create her demonstration:

"I told her I feel honored...but at the same time I'm completely aware of where we're at as a nation and that that song wasn't necessarily written to include people who look like me. I wanted to try to come to some sort of common ground where we could do a demonstration while making a stand against it, but also while keeping in mind that my face is very much a face of the nation, as well. To step completely away from that didn't feel right, either. I was born in America. I'm an American."

The worst thing that can happen is for people of color to be excluded from our patriotism, because ultimately, a bigot or someone who wants to see someone like me not exist would love for me not to be involved with any patriotism. To never see another black person sing the anthem is going in favor of the enemy...But I'm at peace with the way that I choose to demonstrate peace and unity."

October 14: Wicomico high school students kneel

Wicomico High School: Several player on the Wicomico football team took a knee during the anthem.

"(I did it) to support the (Black Lives Matter) movement," Keeondre' Coston, one of the protesters, told DelmarvaNow.com. "It wasn't to harm anyone, it was just a peaceful protest that me and some of my teammates decided to do for support.

"But it seemed to have upset some people."

October 16: As Kaepernick takes the field, fans and foes make moves

Buffalo, NY: Tensions were high in Buffalo before Kaepernick's first start of the season.

Before the game began, many in the crowd booed and chanted "USA! USA!" Outside the field, two T-shirts with his image were being sold: one told him to "Shut Up and Stand Up!", and another featured the words "Wanted: Notorious Disgrace to America," with a bullseye aimed at his chest.

And while Kaepernick and his teammates Eli Harold and Eric Reid While kneeled, one police officer stood directly behind the group, saluting the flag.

But there was also a group of about more than 40 Buffalo Bills fans that had Kaepernick's back. The group marched from the lot to the stadium, then kneeled in solidarity with the starting quarterback as the anthem played.

According to the Huffington Post, the protest "was organized by Just Resisting, a group of organizers of people of color, and a local chapter of Showing Up For Racial Justice, which seeks to organize white people to stand up for racial equality."

We're here to kneel with @Kaepernick7 #billsfans4blacklives @EdgeofSports @gzornick @ESPNNFL pic.twitter.com/fLryU98jO1

- SURJ Buffalo (@SURJBuffalo) October 16, 2016

October 17: Largest U.S. police group apologizes for historic treatment of minorities

San Diego: As athletes continue bringing issues of police brutality and accountability to bigger national platforms, the president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police said law enforcement offered a mea culpa for injustices against African Americans.

IACP President Terrence Cunningham, chief of police in Wellesley, Mass., represents about 23,000 police officials across the country. Here's part of his statement at the group's annual convention:

There have been times when law enforcement officers, because of the laws enacted by federal, state, and local governments, have been the face of oppression for far too many of our fellow citizens. In the past, the laws adopted by our society have required police officers to perform many unpalatable tasks, such as ensuring legalized discrimination or even denying the basic rights of citizenship to many of our fellow Americans.

While this is no longer the case, this dark side of our shared history has created a multigenerational - almost inherited - mistrust between many communities of color and their law enforcement agencies.

...We must move forward together to build a shared understanding. We must forge a path that allows us to move beyond our history and identify common solutions to better protect our communities.

For our part, the first step in this process is for law enforcement and the IACP to acknowledge and apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society's historical mistreatment of communities of color.

At the same time, those who denounce the police must also acknowledge that today's officers are not to blame for the injustices of the past. If either side in this debate fails to acknowledge these fundamental truths, we will be unlikely to move past them.

The statement received a standing ovation at the convention, and many critics have hailed it as a groundbreaking first step. But civil rights activists say words must be backed by action.

October 21: Singer kneels before NBA preseason game; high school football official kneels

Denasia Lawrence: Moments before she began performing the national anthem for a Miami Heat-Philadelphia 76ers preseason game in Miami, Lawrence took a knee mid-court and opened her jacket to reveal a Black Lives Matter T-shirt.

"We're being unjustly killed and overly criminalized," the singer wrote on Facebook, according to The Guardian. "I took the opportunity to sing and kneel to show that we belong in this country and that we have the right to respectfully protest injustices against us."

As she sang, Heat players linked arms, many with their heads down, as they have been doing over the past several weeks.

"At the end of the day, to each his own,'' Heat guard Wayne Ellington, who speaks out against gun violence often, said. "If she feels like that's the way she wants to stand for it, then more power to her.''

North Carolina High School Athletic Association: An unidentified football official took a knee during the anthem before a Southwest-Croatan High School football game.

"I just think it's not right to do that at a high school football game, especially for a official paid by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association," N.C. General Assembly Representative Phil Shepard told media.

October 22: Veterans march in counter-protest while college football players kneel

Greenville College: Some football players at the Christian school in Illinois have taken a knee during the national anthem in recent weeks. According to t o KSDK News, members of a local Veterans of Foreign Wars lodge marched to the center of the football field before the game and formed a line 50 yards long. After the anthem played, some veterans shook hands with the approximately 18 students who stood during the anthem. The rest of the athletes knelt or held fists in the air.

October 25: Columbia college volleyball players kneel after blackface incident

Columbia College: After a photo of three freshmen wearing charcoal facial masks emerged online, volleyball team players Jasmine Johnson, De'Andrea Crosby, and Kara Anderson began taking a knee at home games.

"For me, the kneeling during the national anthem represents a peaceful way of saying that black lives do matter," Johnson, a sophomore, said. "Kneeling during the national anthem shows that the flag didn't represent all ethnicities; and during this time, it's still not standing for all ethnicities, especially black lives. So until that happens, kneeling is the best, peaceful way for me to protest."

October 26: Anthem singer pulled from 76ers game performance for 'We Matter' jersey

Sevyn Streeter: Streeter had completed soundcheck before her scheduled national anthem performance at the Philadelphia 76ers' season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But about two minutes before she was set to sing, the team axed her performance.

"I'm at the 76ers game to sing the national anthem and the organization is telling me I can't because I'm wearing a 'We Matter' jersey," she said in a video. They offered her a jersey, which she refused, before replacing her with a cheerleader.

"I also felt it was important to express the ongoing challenges and ongoing injustice we face as a black community within the United States of America - that's very important to me," Streeter said, according to ESPN. "Yes, we live in the greatest country in the world, but there are issues that we cannot ignore. This can't be ignored."

"Yes, we live in the greatest country in the world, but there are issues that we cannot ignore. This can't be ignored."

After backlash from the public and from Sixers themselves, the team issued a statement apologizing for the decision and inviting her to perform at another game of her choosing.

"We felt like she should have been able to sing, and for whatever reasons, that didn't happen," guard Gerald Henderson said. "...hopefully she can come back and sing her song."

Forward Jerami Grant said if Streeter doesn't return, the team may make another gesture:

Coach [Brett] Brown came to us and allowed us to come up with an idea of what to do. He gets it. He knows how we feel about this, he knows me and a couple other guys didn't like what happened with the decision not to allow her to sing. We need to move forward. We can't change the past, but we're trying to right the wrong.

October 29: College football players join hands in 'circle of unity'

University of Texas at El Paso: Before their homecoming match began, UTEP football players linked hands with their opponents, the Old Dominion Monarchs, and raised their joined fists upwards.

It's not UTEP's first time engaging in the gesture, which walks the line between respecting law enforcement and acknowledging police discrimination toward minorities . They've done it for a few weeks now, according to The Prospector, at the suggestion of their coach after several ODU players began wearing Black Lives Matter shirts in warm-ups.

This time, though, they were supported by UTEP students and local Radical Soup activists, who displayed a Black Lives Matter poster from the stands. Others launched counter-protests, holding up signs and American flags near the group. The Prospector reports that one person holding a flag was heard to have yelled, "Go back to Africa."

November 3: Lawmakers propose slashing athletic budget after Arkansas players kneel

University of Arkansas: Six women's basketball players took a knee during the national anthem before an exhibition game versus Oklahoma Baptist University.

According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Republican lawmakers Sen. Alan Clark, Rep. Kim Hammer and Rep. Laurie Rushing responded by criticizing the protest and saying they would consider cutting the school's budget. Clark said he placed a hold on the school's budget to be considered in next year's legislative session and says he will introduce an amendment to cut funding. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson also retweeted a message scolding the player s for their protest.

The athletes - Briunna Freeman, Jordan Danberry, Jailyn Mason, Tatiyana Smith, Kiara Williams, and Yasmeen Ratliff, all of whom are black -later said they will end their protest, which had been aimed at raising awareness of the "unjust system" that leads to police brutality against minorities. They have created an initiative, called Project Unify, to spark dialogue between community groups about societal issues like policing.

"We want to be a part of change in our society," Mason said. "My teammates and I will utilize the resources available to all students at the University of Arkansas and within our community to create a set of key topics that will initiate discussions to enhance understanding between the different members of our community.

November 8: Clinton election party singer kneels during anthem

Carmen Rodgers: The singer took a knee during the final line of her performance of the national anthem during Hillary Clinton's election party at New York City's Javits Center.

November 9: Emerson volleyball players protest Trump

Emerson College: Days after Donald Trump's election as president, the women's volleyball team huddled in a circle during the playing of the national anthem before a match against Morrisville State College. Some wrote messages on their arms in black marker: "Nasty Woman," "Not My President" and more.

"Once we found out the final result, it was a pretty big shock," senior Annie Hall told The Berkeley Beacon. "We were pretty upset. We thought, we have a game tomorrow and we're asking people to go. What can we do?"

Junior Sam Harton said the team thought it was important not to ignore the issue.

"It's a really dark day in history for us. I know that a lot of us came in the locker room crying today," Harton said. "Some people wanted us to just go out and play and forget about it, but I don't believe in that. There was just too much emotion to put it aside. This is a cathartic experience for us, volleyball, so we really wanted to bring it into that."

November 11: Wisconsin basketball players take a stand after racist fan costume, Nevada basketball players begin an anthem movement

University of Wisconsin: Players Nigel Hayes and Jordan Hill stood one step behind their teammates during the national anthem before an exhibition game, according to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. (Hayes said he couldn't kneel because his knees would hurt.)

The players began their protest after an Oct. 29 game in which two fans wore Halloween costumes depicting a noose around President Barack Obama's neck. The school initially responded with a mild statement about freedom of speech.

"I like to think it would have been handled differently if it would have been an anti-Semitic type of protest," Hayes said. "Once we get some better economic rights for blacks, better laws ... things become more fair and more equal. I'd love to be in a country where my people are treated equally."

The protests are a statement against U.S. race relations more broadly, too.

"You've got to take care of you and yours first, and our people are not being taken care of," Hill said. "....what everyone is singing in here or everywhere across the nation before a game does not represent us and until it does, we are not going to be apart of it."

University of Nevada: Nine of the 13 players Nevada's women's basketball team are minorities. So for the Wolf Pack, discrimination is personal. That's why, when kneeling during the anthem seemed impossible, they decided to create a campaign to celebrate diversity and unity.

"We decided as a team that we were going to kneel but I was caught between a rock and a hard place because I knew my team wanted to do that," junior guard T Moe told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "But I knew the repercussions that would happen and I had already gotten a 'no' before I had even put it out there."

Instead, when the Wolf Pack stood for the anthem before their season opener November 11, the team was joined by several Native Americans. Since the season began and over the next few weeks, the team will stand with LGBTQ people, people experiencing homelessness, Air Force members, cops, nurses and members of other communities.

November 13: Bucs' Mike Evans protests Trump

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL): Before the Bucs beat the Chicago Bears 36-30 in Tampa, wide receiver Mike Evans sat out the anthem to protest the election of Trump.

"I'm not going to stand for something I don't believe in."

"I'm not going to stand for something I don't believe in," Evans said. "When Ashton Kutcher comes out and says we've been Punk'd, then I'll stand again... But the things that's been going on in America lately, I'm not going to stand for that."

On November 15, Evans apologized for kneeling and said he was reversing course:

I have very strong emotions regarding some of the many issues that exist in our society today. I chose to sit as an expression of my frustration towards this year's election. It was very personal for me, as it was for so many Americans.

With that being said, I will not sit again during the National Anthem because I want to focus my efforts on finding more effective ways to communicate my message and bring about change by supporting organizations and movements that fight for equal rights for minorities.

This Sunday, I will be back to standing with my teammates.

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Tracking the Kaepernick Effect: The anthem protests are spreading

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Editor's Note: ThinkProgress updated and relaunched its protest tracking project in an interactive database you can find here, which includes more recent data. The original story below was last updated on November 3, 2016.

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Does kneeling during the national anthem disrespect veterans? How?

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If you're offended by the sight of athletes kneeling during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," you might want to avoid more than the NFL -- you might also want to miss high school and youth league games.

Members of the girls soccer team at Traip Academy in Kittery, Maine kneeled during the U.S. national anthem before their match the afternoon after a Sunday filled with NFL players who went down on one knee and/or locked arms -- with some team owners joining in -- following President Donald Trump's Sept. 24 speech in which he veered off the topic of Senate candidate Luther Strange to declare that if any pro football player took a knee during the anthem, he was a "son of a bitch" whom his owner should fire.

The imagery of a president who said there were "very fine people" at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., in which a woman was killed by a rallier, then using an obscenity at black football players who peacefully protest about police brutality and racial inequality (which is how this started with Colin Kaepernick in 2016), was not lost on a league where 70 percent of players are African-American. Nor was the imagery of bringing up that these players have "owners." And the owners, and many others in the NFL who had supported Trump, were suddenly ready to take a knee after they became the latest group of white people shocked that the president was not confining his venom only to non-white, non-Christian people and the things they love.

"I'm pissed off I'll be honest. I supported Trump, and I'm appalled at these comments. SOB's? Not the men that I know." - Rex Ryan just now pic.twitter.com/hsJRRktlsv

- justin kanew (@Kanew) September 24, 2017

So the news is dominated by images and discussion of players kneeling during the anthem, which I actually find a legitimate use of time, despite the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean following hurricanes, the devastation from Mexican earthquakes, and impending nuclear doom with North Korea. To paraphrase Washington's Josh Norman said after his Sunday night game, Trump has put this question behind Kaepernick's protest into its sharpest focus: who gets to be an American, with all rights and privileges? (Certainly Puerto Rico has to be wondering whether its president isn't thinking it's American enough to warrant an urgent response to its devastation.)

An emotional Josh Norman reacts to Trumps latest comments. "Am I American?" Watch the whole thing. pic.twitter.com/7XBnRGIXSV

- JP Finlay (@JPFinlayCSN) September 25, 2017

As Trump has done with so many things, he's turned a simple, powerful protest about race played out during the anthem -- a short statement in full view, not interrupting anyone but something you can't ignore -- into something all about him. And as such, Trump has turned something that was a burning ember -- Kaepernick, basically blackballed from the NFL over his protests, isn't talking about them any more in favor of his own charitable works -- into a raging fire. Trump has put any athlete and fan in the position that what you do during the national anthem, or what you think of what people do during the anthem, says everything about you.

Or, whether you visit the White House after your team wins a title.

U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain't going! So therefore ain't no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!

- LeBron James (@KingJames) September 23, 2017

Which is why high schools and youth leagues are wringing their hands, waiting for what happens in games this upcoming weekend, particularly in football. For example, the state high school athletic associations in Minnesota and Louisiana have already advised schools it's up to them on how to handle possible protests, which are legal.

Besides the Traip Academy kneeldown, the high school band that played the anthem before Monday night's Oakland A's baseball game took a knee -- the A's being the team with the first player in baseball take a knee during the anthem. Bruce Maxwell did that the night of Trump's NFL speech. Many school teams took a knee in 2016 when Kaepernick was active, and there's expectations it'll happen again.

Lest you think this is an easy and popular thing to do, a high school football player who is a Texas A&M recruit announced on Twitter he would take a knee, but changed his mind for reasons he didn't state. I don't doubt it might have something to do with the vitriolic comments he got from actual grown people who had nothing better to do than attack a teenager online.

Orlando "Doc" Gooden isn't sure, but his Cahokia, Ill., youth team's taking a knee Sept. 17 -- before Trump's NFL rant -- might be the reason he's suspended this weekend from coaching his team. (He wasn't told a reason, and Tri-County Football, his league, didn't respond to emails seeking comment.) Gooden and his team got worldwide attention for their protest, no small reason being the players involved, protesting following the acquittal of a white former St. Louis cop for shooting and killing a black man, were 7 and 8 years old.

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Youth Athletes, Again, Take A Knee During National Anthem

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If you're offended by the sight of athletes kneeling during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," you might want to avoid more than the NFL -- you might also want to miss high school and youth league games. Members of the girls soccer team at Traip Academy in Kittery, Maine kneeled during the U.S.

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Within the lines of the First Amendment, there is room. Room to stand-or kneel-for self-defined virtues and constitutionally defined rights. Room for interpretation. Room for context. Room for growth.

But in the classroom, there is little margin for error by omission. As professional athletes and allies #TakeAKnee, educators may not have the option to sit out the discussion surrounding peaceful protests during the national anthem.

Here's the context you need to teach this moment and connect it to the United States' history of peaceful protest and opposition.

Why are people taking a knee during the national anthem?

At the beginning of the NFL's 2016 season, Colin Kaepernick, then a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers, took a knee during the "Star Spangled Banner." When asked why he kneeled during the anthem, Kaepernick stated, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. ... There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

Kaepernick's decision to kneel, rather than sit on the bench, was inspired by a conversation with a former NFL player and Green Beret who saw it as a more respectful gesture toward the military.

In keeping with a long tradition of athletes protesting social issues, Kaepernick decided to use his platform to draw attention to police violence against people of color and the lack of accountability for police officers. Since then, Kaepernick has received both widespread support and criticism for his chosen form of protest. Now, a year later, Kaepernick finds himself without a team for the season amidst allegations that he is being blackballed from the NFL for his beliefs. Many players, including international athletes, have decided to kneel in solidarity with Kaepernick and otherwise show support. And the protest has spread to the larger realm of sports: from baseball to peewee football and high school soccer.

The protests escalated this past weekend after President Trump encouraged owners of NFL teams to fire players who refused to stand during the national anthem. Ben Watson, a tight end for the Baltimore Ravens, was one of the players who protested this past weekend. "Obviously, the name-calling is something we don't [stand] for," he said, "but even to imply that we don't have the right to express ourselves in that way is something that we really took to heart." Entire teams refused to come onto the field for the anthem; others knelt en masse. For the first time since the beginning of the protest, team owners and coaches linked arms and protested with their players as a show of collective action to shine attention on the original message: the unjust killing of people of color and the lack of accountability for police officers who commit these acts.

How is this form of protest connected to protests from the past?

#TakeAKnee has direct ties to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. For example, the civil rights campaign in Birmingham, Alabama, was effective in large part because of its public nature. Television viewers around the world could see nonviolent protesters being brutalized by police officers using water hoses, dogs, and billy clubs. The same goes for peaceful protesters in Selma. In both of these moments, the catalyst for change was television. Today, much of Sunday television is dominated by full-day coverage of NFL games on major networks and sports channels. Today's protests, much like those of the past, are meant to encourage meaningful dialogue and action by making viewers uncomfortable. As with protests of the past, that discomfort isn't a bad thing.

Backlash to the civil rights activism often led to threats and very real acts of violence, surges in white supremacist ideals and imagery, and an outpour of "us versus them" rhetoric. Today, resistance comes in the forms of demanding protesters be fired and changing the narrative of the protest to be about the American flag and U.S. troops and veterans, as opposed to police brutality and injustice against people of color.

Protests have almost always been met with resistance. For example, a 1961 Gallup poll found that 61 percent of respondents disapproved of the Freedom Rides, and 57 percent believed that civil rights demonstrations hurt the integration cause. In many ways, that resistance is the point. Change usually occurs through these clashes of ideals. Civil rights activism of the past shares an underlying theme with today's activism: Injustice can only be ignored for so long before everyone has to face it, whether it's on the nightly news or during a Sunday NFL broadcast.

Discussion Questions

1. Why might an athlete choose to participate in this form of protest? Why might an athlete choose not to participate?

2. Is there a "proper" time or place for engaging in collective action? What's the significance of this action taking place at sporting events?

3. The concerns raised by Colin Kaepernick aren't new, so why are these protests sparking such attention now?

4. How does this form of collective action connect to past movements?

5. What role might empathy play in helping people to understand the oppression at the center of these protests?

6. What could people do beyond taking a knee to help address the concerns behind that action?

Additional Resources
What Is Your Reaction to President Trump's Tweets About Professional Sports Leagues and Athletes? Contemporary Movements Part-Time Indian and Colin Kaepernick

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Within the lines of the First Amendment, there is room. Room to stand-or kneel-for self-defined virtues and constitutionally defined rights. Room for interpretation. Room for context. Room for growth. But in the classroom, there is little margin for error by omission.

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Trump dislikes #TakeAKnee movement

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President Donald Trump was back on the attack on Monday, saying that "many" fans booed those players who took a knee and who spoke out during the weekend's NFL games.

"Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!" Trump tweeted the morning after an NFL game day that saw players or owners on nearly all of the teams take action or issue statements against the president.

"The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!" Trump wrote, adding that he was "so proud of NASCAR and its supporters and fans."

"They won't put up with disrespecting our Country or our Flag - they said it loud and clear!"

According to the Associated Press, New England Patriots fans booed during their team's anthem protest, while Politico New York reported fans in Buffalo also booed.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who has called Trump a "friend," said Monday that he was opposed to the president's tweets over the weekend.

"I certainly disagree with what he said and thought it was just divisive, and like I said, I just want to support my teammates," Brady said on Boston's WEEI.

"I'm never one that says, 'Oh, that's wrong or that's right...' - but I do believe in what I believe in, and I believe in bringing people together, respect and love and trust," Brady added. "Those are the values my parents instilled in me." At the New England Patriots game against the Houston Texans, Brady linked arms with his teammates.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan were among those who joined players in protests. The Pittsburgh Steelers went a step further, announcing ahead of their matchup with the Chicago Bears that they would not leave their locker room for the national anthem.

The Seattle Seahawks players released a joint statement on Sunday explaining that they also would not participate in the national anthem.

"We will not stand for the injustice that has plagued people of color in this country," the statement said. "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 basic freedoms."

PHOTOS: NFL Players Lock Arms, Kneel During National Anthem to Protest Trump

The actions came after a fiery declaration from Trump on Friday night when he called those who kneel "sons of bitches" and tweeted that NFL players who don't stand during the anthem should be "fired."

The NFL dismissed Trump's comments.

Brian McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of communications, told NBC News Sunday that the league had a series of "fantastic games" on Sunday and they expected "good ratings."

"What you saw today was a demonstration of unity across the game from the players and coaches," McCarthy said. "Each team, in their own way, demonstrated unity - and it was a great day of football."

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President Donald Trump was back on the attack on Monday, saying that "many" fans booed those players who took a knee and who spoke out during the weekend's NFL games. "Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!"

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Widow of 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle disappointed in #TakeAKnee

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Taya Kyle, the widow of legendary Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, issued a bold challenge to the NFL via Facebook on Tuesday in response to the national anthem protests sweeping the league.

Like many other NFL fans, she is tired of seeing the sport focus on "division and anger" instead of the message of unity that it once represented. She is now calling on the NFL to make a real difference in America and urging its players to "get off your knees" to get it done.

We are presenting Kyle's entire letter to the NFL without commentary. We recommend reading every word:

Dear NFL,

You were doing your part to bring people together and heal the world. That's really how healing works. We heal by loving each other and leading by example; showing people what is possible when we love each other just as we are and not only recognize our differences but celebrate them and look at how we can use them together to make us jointly better than our separate parts. You were doing your part celebrating each other based on skills, talent and a joint vision without regard to color and religion.

You were doing your part and we were doing ours. We showed up cheering and groaning together to [sic] as one. We talked in the concession lines and commiserated and celebrated our team together. Did it ever occur to you that you and we were already a mix of backgrounds, races and religions? We were already living the dream you want, right in front of you.

Your desire to focus on division and anger has shattered what many people loved most about the sport. Football was really a metaphor for our ideal world -different backgrounds, talents, and histories actually made us one big team with one big goal - to do well, to win, TOGETHER.

You are asking us to abandon what we loved about togetherness and make choices of division. Will we stand with you? Will we stand with our flag? What does it mean? What does it mean if we buy a ticket or NFL gear? What does it mean if we don't? It is the polar opposite of the easy togetherness we once loved in football.

It was simple - we loved you and you loved us - with all of our races, religions and different backgrounds. Simplicity in a crazy world was pretty awesome.

You dear NFL, have taken that. You have lost me here.

If you ever want to get off your knees and get to work on building bridges, let me know. I have found screaming about the problems in service marriages or even standing in silence in front of them, hasn't healed even one of them. On the other hand, funding the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, building a team and rolling up my sleeves to get in the trenches during my "off time" -volunteering there outside of my paying jobs - has proven to make real change.

You have a lot of strong guys, I am sure in the off season a lot of them could build some pretty big bridges if they care enough to do the hard work. That would involve getting off their knees and getting to work though. I can do it while I raise two kids as their only parent and work through the greatest pain of my life, let's see if they can do it for the issues they say they care so much about.

Go Longhorns and Sic 'Em ...

Sincerely,

Taya

Chris Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield, were fatally shot and killed in 2013. Taya Kyle now raises their two children as a single parent.

To say she understands the incredible sacrifice America's service members make when they put on the uniform would be an understatement.

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Wife of 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle Just Issued Major Challenge to NFL - Every Player Should Read This

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Taya Kyle, the widow of legendary Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, issued a bold challenge to the NFL via Facebook on Tuesday in response to the national anthem protests sweeping the league. Like many other NFL fans, she is tired of seeing the sport focus on "division and anger" instead of the message of unity that it once represented.

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Since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem in the 2016 pre-season, several veterans who fought for the U.S. military have been expressing their support for Kaepernick's protest.

President Donald Trump may have helped turn Kaepernick's silent demonstration into a bonafide movement when he suggested that NFL owners fire players who protest the national anthem during a Friday rally in Huntsville, Alabama.

"Wouldn't you love to see one of the NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say 'Get that son of a b---- off the field right now?'" Trump said.

On Twitter, Trump defended his comments, saying that "Courageous Patriots have fought and died for our great American Flag."

Courageous Patriots have fought and died for our great American Flag --- we MUST honor and respect it! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017

Trump retweeted a photo of Pat Tillman, the former NFL player turned Army Ranger who died in Afghanistan in 2004 after enlisting in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Trump's comments spurred a backlash that included protest against the "Star Spangled Banner" across several NFL teams on Sunday. Several veterans who fought in the U.S. armed forces echoed the players' sentiments.

A photo of 97-year-old World War II veteran John Middlemas taking a knee went viral, after the man's grandson Brendan Gilmore posted it to Twitter.

The tweet -- which included a photo of the farmer from Willard, Missouri, kneeling on the ground accompanied by what Gilmore said was his grandfather's phrase "those kids have every right to protest" -- was retweeted nearly 130,000 times in just a day.

Gilmore wrote that his grandfather "has been an ally to the civil rights movement for many years."

The hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick began trending after people took notice that the former quarterback, who currently isn't signed to a NFL team, was not standing for the national anthem. After Sunday's gameday protests, veterans took to Twitter again using the hashtag along with a new one, #TakeAKnee.

Some NFL players decided to stand for the anthem on Sunday. Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva -- a former Army Ranger -- took to the field and placed his hand on his heart during the "Star Spangled Banner," despite his team's decision to skip the national anthem altogether.

However, in the past, Villanueva has expressed solidarity with Kaepernick, saying in a 2016 interview, "I will be the first one to hold hands with Colin Kaepernick and do something about the way minorities are being treated in the United States, the injustice that is happening with police brutality, the justice system, inequalities in pay," according to ESPN.

Nam Y. Huh/AP

Even as the protests he inspired become more widepsread, Kaepernick remains unsigned in the NFL. He opted out of his contract with the 49ers after last season.

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Veterans take a knee in support of national anthem protests

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Since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem in the 2016 pre-season, several veterans who fought for the U.S. military have been expressing their support for Kaepernick's protest. President Donald Trump may have helped turn Kaepernick's...

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How many of you stand up during the national anthem when watching a sporting event from the comfort of your home?

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Listenwise: Debate: Should a Social Protest Affect Football?

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Two decades ago, Beverly Daniel Tatum published a bestselling book on the psychology of racism. Now, with the release of the book's second edition, she reflects on its relevance to schools today.

In 1997, Beverly Daniel Tatum, one of the country's foremost authorities on the psychology of racism, answered a recurring question that surfaced in her work with teachers, administrators, and parent groups: Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? The result was a critically acclaimed book of the same name that gave readers-numbering in the hundreds of thousands-a starting point to demystify conversations about race, better understand the concept of racial identity, and communicate across racial and ethnic divides.

Now two decades later, the black kids are still sitting together. And Tatum has returned with a revised and updated 20th-anniversary edition of her national bestseller that publishes today. One aspect that has changed dramatically since the original release of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race are America's demographics. Latinos and Asian Americans are the largest and fastest-growing populations of color, respectively, with children of color for the first time outnumbering white children in public schools. Additionally, the backlash against the election of the first black president, the continuing segregation of schools, and highly visible incidents of police violence seem to belie the claim of a "post-racial society"-making Tatum's perspectives on effective dialogue about race and racism especially relevant.

Tatum recently shared some thoughts with The Atlantic on why conversations about race remain vexing and what can happen when educators and parents avoid those conversations. The interview that follows has been edited for length and clarity.

Melinda D. Anderson: Has your perspective changed on anything you wrote in the original edition of your book?

Beverly Daniel Tatum: In 1997 my goal in writing my book was to help others move beyond fear, anger, and denial to a new understanding of what racism is, how it impacts all of us, and ultimately what we can do about it. ... I still have that goal, but in 1997 we were a nation at peace and the economy was expanding. Today we are a nation at war, suffering from economic anxiety and the combination of "post-racial" rhetoric, simmering racial resentments, and an increasing 140-character culture of communication that has made productive conversation more difficult to have.

That said, it is still the case that in a race-conscious society, we all have a racial identity that develops in predictable ways, shaped largely by the interactions we have with others. I still believe that an understanding of that identity-development process can help all of us begin to build bridges across lines of difference.

Anderson: In the wake of the events in Charlottesville, Virginia-where members of the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists marched through the city last month-many educators are grappling with how to help students understand and contextualize America's history of racism and current racial divides. What would you say to teachers and administrators struggling in this area?

Tatum: I like to begin my conversations with educators by talking about why it's so hard for people to talk about race. I often ask them to think about their own earliest race-related memories, and without exception what I find is that many people have [these] memories-and if you ask how old they were, they'll often tell you 5, 6, 7 years old. Then I usually ask what emotion is associated with that memory. And they'll mention things like embarrassment, fear, anger, sadness, shame, [and] sometimes confusion. Most often it's some uncomfortable feeling.

[Finally] I ask: When that experience happened, did you speak about it to anyone? Did you talk to a parent, or a teacher, a caring adult about this experience? And almost always, the majority of the people in the audience will say they did not. There's often just this understanding that you're not supposed to talk about it. And I start there simply to say ... now you're 35 or whatever age, and you've had a lot of lifetime experiences that have told you, don't talk about this.

You can't solve a problem without talking about it. And certainly if we think about educational environments and experiences, it is in the classroom where you can create the space for a conversation about the meaning of the Confederate flag and [discuss] those statues [and] when they were put up. There are resources that teachers can use-provided by organizations like Facing History and Ourselves-to inform themselves, and then bring that information into classrooms in an age-appropriate way. [Also,] if I were in a classroom talking about what happened [in Charlottesville] I'd want to lift up not only the horrific things that we all know about, but also the solidarity of the people who came out the next day to remember the memory of Heather Heyer [a 32-year-old woman who was killed protesting the white-supremacist rally]. I think that it's important ... in these conversations, to always leave space for hope.

Anderson: You delve deeply into the racial-identity development process for black youth-from their early years through adulthood. One anecdote brings the specific role of black teachers to the forefront. Can you tell me about the role black educators-who make up just 7 percent of the public-school teaching force-play in black children's lives?

Tatum: I often use this analogy: If you and I were in a room together with lots of other people and somebody took a photograph of us, and I handed you that photograph at the end of our time together, and you took a look at it, what would be the first thing you would do? You're going to look for yourself in the picture.

If you think about classrooms or workspaces or conferences, wherever we are, we go into these spaces and we look for ourselves. You want to see yourself represented. In that sense, when young people walk into a classroom, they want to see someone who they identify with, maybe because they're the same race. It doesn't always have to be racial identification. [A student] can identify with a teacher because she likes music [or] identify with [educators] because they are into sports. But to the extent that kids of color walk into classrooms and rarely see someone who looks like themselves in that environment, that's a missing link.

Anderson: Your writing on the development of white identity was a revelatory look into the current cultural and social dynamics in the United States. Please talk about the process of redefining whiteness from "just normal" to a more nuanced conception of what it means to be white.

Tatum: If ... you live in a neighborhood where everybody or most people are white, you grew up in a family where all the members are white, and you go to a school and most people are white, [chances are] you [see your white identity as] the norm. And you probably don't think much about it-that's not the part of your identity that you're focused on. But when you enter into a space, a classroom or a workplace, where you are now in a racially mixed environment, and there's conversation about issues of race in particular, you may start to have a greater awareness. You start to learn what whiteness means, in some ways, because you start to see what racial-group membership means for other people. Or maybe [that awareness comes through] ... reading a book, or taking a class.

However that awareness starts to happen, what I've found is that [white] people start to realize that they've had some advantages. ... They've had some benefits as a result of being white that they'd never really paid attention to, but have taken for granted, or not even noticed. And when they start to notice or when they learn the history, it's upsetting ... There are often feelings of guilt. It's usually at that point where it can be really helpful [to join] an organization like Showing Up for Racial Justice, which helps white people support each other in their growth and learning around how to become anti-racist.

[Figuring out how to turn that guilt into action] is a learning process, and it's not as linear as I'm describing. It often requires re-educating oneself or learning things that you never learned in school, simply because it wasn't [taught]. Talking to people you don't usually talk to. It's not like it happens instantly.

Anderson: Interestingly, you expand on the conversation-shifting beyond black and white-to interrupt the frequent resistance to talking about racism in non-black communities of color. What are some of the complexities surrounding identity development for students who belong to those communities?

Tatum: Well, I think the basic principle goes back to that picture analogy. If we want to affirm the identities of our students, the first thing we have to think about is: Do they see themselves represented? One of the points I talk about is that the representation of Native Americans is always in the past. There's a Native educator I quote who says Native youth, who have a very high suicide rate, need to see themselves as having a future, not just a past. It's thinking about how students will find themselves in the curriculum, not just who's teaching, but [also] how are they being talked about? If you're Native American, do you see yourself represented at all except perhaps as the mascot of the football team?

The common stereotype for Asians is that they're academically successful, particularly in science and math. But what if you are a young Asian person who is interested in journalism? Are you able to express yourself fully or are you being categorized so narrowly that your options are being foreclosed? In the case of Latinos, language is important to identity. Familism [prioritizing family relationships] is an important cultural value; you want to preserve your language so you can speak to [your] grandmother. But if you're in a school where you feel your language is perceived as a liability-not an asset-that has a direct impact on how you feel about being in school.

Regardless of your group membership, the questions of identity are at the heart of the adolescent experience. ... Each group has its own particular social context ... but at the fundamental core of each young person's [identity development] is a desire for affirmation.

Anderson: You admit that you're an optimist at heart, but for some the prevalence of racism in American society can seem all-consuming. What fuels your sense of confidence?

Tatum: Sometimes you have to work at feeling hopeful. Social progress tends to be two steps forward, one step back. I'm old enough to know that change is possible. I was born in September of 1954, several months after the Brown v. Board of Education decision. ... If you think about the sense of urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement, those young people who are out in the streets are asking: Why are we still having this conversation? Why are these things still happening? It's a difficult moment, there's no question. Charlottesville and the President's response have reminded us how difficult it is. But that said, there are a lot of people who want change.

And it's only because I have seen that change is possible that I believe it is again possible. The dialogue is critical. That's why I always put the word "conversations" in my book titles, because you can't move forward without talking to people. Talk isn't something that comes easily [and] talk by itself isn't sufficient; you want to have those conversations because you want to inspire action.

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Do Conversations About Race Belong in the Classroom?

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Two decades ago, Beverly Daniel Tatum published a bestselling book on the psychology of racism. Now, with the release of the book's second edition, she reflects on its relevance to schools today.

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How standing for the national anthem became sports tradition

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Over the weekend, following President Trump's continued criticism of athletes choosing to protest by kneeling during the national anthem, NFL players across the country were faced with the question of what to do while "The Star-Spangled Banner" played before the game. More than 200 players chose to sit or kneel.

But how did the national anthem become such an integral part of professional sporting events in the U.S.?

"The earliest documented performance [of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at a baseball game] occurred on May 15, 1862, during the opening game played at Union Base Ball and Cricket Grounds in Brooklyn, New York," Marc Ferris writes in Star-Spangled Banner: The Unlikely Story of America's National Anthem. But as he later explained to NPR, hiring a band was a big enough cost that the anthem was saved for "special occasions" like opening day.

One famous example of this kind of special occasion was the first game of the World Series on Sept. 5, 1918.

Americans were so rattled by World War I that the game "almost didn't happen," according to the World War I Centennial Commission. "Out of respect for the soldiers, baseball officials wanted to cancel the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. When it became known, however, that American soldiers fighting in France were eager to know the Series' results, the games commenced." (On a more local level, Chicagoans were particularly on edge after a bombing at a federal building that housed a post office left four dead, with many suspecting that labor activists were behind it at a time when anti-union sentiment was high.)
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Red Sox third baseman and furloughed U.S. Navy sailor Fred Thomas' rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was so moving that the New York Times led its recap of the game not with a rundown of the athletes' performance, but rather with an assessment of Thomas's performance:

Far different from any incident that has ever occurred in the history of baseball was the great moment of the first world's series game between the Chicago Cubs and the Red Sox, which came at Comisky Park this afternoon during the seventh-inning stretch. As the crowd of 19,274 spectators...stood up to take their afternoon yawn...the band broke forth to the strains of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

The yawn was checked and heads were bared as the ball players turned quickly about and faced the music. Jackie Fred Thomas of the U.S. Navy was at attention, as the stood erect, with his eyes set on the flag fluttering at the top of the lofty pole in right field. First the song was taken up by a few, then others joined, and when the final notes came, a great volume of melody rolled across the field. It was at the very end that the onlookers exploded into thunderous applause and rent the air with a cheer that marked the highest point of the day's enthusiasm.

The mind of the baseball fan was on the war. The patriotic outburst following the singing of the national anthem was far greater than the upheaval of emotion which greeted Babe Ruth, the Boston southpaw, when he conquered Hippo Him Vaughn and the Cubs in a seething flinging duel by a score of 1 to 0.

However, while the Times referred to the song as the national anthem, that was not technically the case yet. The song was then just an anthem for the U.S. Army and Navy, but it would prove to have legs ( even if the Cubs' World Series record would not). "The outpouring of sentiment, enthusiasm, and patriotism at the 1918 World Series went a long way to making the (song) the national anthem,'' John Thorn, Major League Baseball's official historian, told the Associated Press in July.

President Herbert Hoover signed a bill into law making "The Star-Spangled Banner" the official anthem of the U.S. in 1931, giving the country a national anthem for the first time.

During the World War II era, with the addition of sound systems that allowed the playing of recorded music at ball games, the performance became standard and moved from the seventh-inning stretch to the beginning of the game, Ferris has said. The tradition spread to football games, too.

At the end of the war, after Japan announced it would surrender, NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden called for all of the league's teams to play "The Star-Spangled Banner" at their games, arguing, "The National Anthem should be as much a part of every game as the kick-off. We must not drop it simply because the war is over. We should never forget what it stands for."

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Here's How Standing for the National Anthem Became Part of U.S. Sports Tradition

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Over the weekend, following President Trump's continued criticism of athletes choosing to protest by kneeling during the national anthem, NFL players across the country were faced with the question of what to do while "The Star-Spangled Banner" played before the game. More than 200 players chose to sit or kneel.

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Two sides of the protest debate

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Martellus Bennett didn't protest the national anthem. The Green Bay Packers tight end stood up with the rest of his teammates, and Washington Redskins players, during the second preseason contest at FedEx Field on Saturday.

"Nah, I'm chilling," Bennett responded when asked about it after the game.

Instead, he just chose a different medium to express his thoughts: art. Yes, there are, in fact, multiple ways to convey a message.

While his brother, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, sat during the national anthem during Friday's preseason game for the second straight week in solidarity with those fighting for racial equality, Martellus Bennett posted a political cartoon dedicated to him "and all of the other athletes using their platform to promote change."

Here's my first political cartoon. Dedicated to my brother @mosesbread72 and all of the other athletes using their platform to promote change. As I've been saying it seems as if "you can use the platform provided to promote products but not to promote change to the products of your environment." I've read a lot of the hate mail and comments sent to my brother as well as the ones sent to me. This illustration is how I feel about it all. here's to those willing to risk it all to promote change. #martyland #theimaginationagency #createdbymarty

A post shared by Martellus Bennett (@martellusb) on

The cartoon, which took two days to make, displays two black football players with a platform. One is promoting league products, and he's being told what to say on a big stage with significant interest from the media, while the other (tagged with Michael Bennett's Instagram account) is promoting Black Lives Matter and equality on a smaller platform, to the confusion of media members and a white football player scratching his head.

"I don't think anything I put on the cartoon was offensive," said Bennett, who still received criticism in the comments section. "It was just straight to the point. There was no misinterpretation there at all. It was right there, everything you need to see."

[Raiders' Derek Carr and Khalil Mack stand for national anthem but still send a message of unity]

Bennett, who is the creative director of Awesomeness at The Imagination Agency, thought studying political cartoons during history classes were "pretty awesome." Cartoons have often been a powerful way to present a message, but it's also been a level of imagery that has depicted racial stereotypes from as early as the 1930s to as recently as last week by the Illinois Policy Institute.

"I don't really work with it too often, but I think for that situation, it was perfect to paint the picture that I wanted people to see because sometimes you've got to stand back and look at things," Bennett said. "When you're so focused on what guys are doing, what they're saying, how they look, then we don't see the full image. I thought that was a good way to pull back and kind of frame it side-by-side so that you could see what we saw, or what I saw, from my perspective.

"And my perspective is not always the right one, but that's my POV from my experiences and what I saw. It might be totally different from what somebody else sees. But for us, and a lot of us, that's what we see and that's how it is for us. That's what the biggest thing for me was."

The cartoon is the yin to Michael Bennett's yang, displaying the duality within activism. Michael Bennett is voicing the same message during NFL games that initially started a year ago with Colin Kaepernick, who became one of the most polarizing figures in this country for sitting down during the national anthem to fight racial injustice and police brutality. He remains a free agent during Week 2 of the preseason. Martellus Bennett took it one step further, displaying on a macro level the difficulties NFL athletes face when they attempt to step outside the structure of the NFL and use the platform to promote a social good.

"When you're fighting the war, there's many battles," he said. "My brother is fighting one battle, and I'm on the different end of the spectrum fighting a different battle. But we're in the same war. It's just different things that we're doing right now."

Martellus Bennett understands not everyone's contribution will be the same, although protesting the national anthem has received the most recognition as a form of activism among NFL players. He believes it comes down to figuring out how to make a difference with the specific gifts each individual has to bring to the table.

For him, "art is universal." Bennett said everyone can understand art, and it has the ability to impact people on a broad level, whether that's through cartoons or through his poem, "Dear Black Boy," which he wrote after two black men were killed by police in Louisiana and Minnesota within 48 hours of each other last summer.

"Sometimes I like to write to get a point across, and sometimes I like to design," Bennett said. "Like Langston Hughes is just as important. The words that Martin Luther King spoke were just as important as the things that he did as well because sometimes you retain those things. Like we recite 'I Have A Dream' to this day. Words are powerful. Design, there are things that you see that are powerful; whether it's a political cartoon, whether it's an animated series, whatever it is, there's ways to use art to explain and get people to see things differently than they would with words."

Bennett thought it would be more effective to fight with his creativity and imagination, the same weapons he arms kids with because he wants to teach them how to think with "design in mind so that they can have a better future for us." Inspired by his daughter, he said he's motivated to inspire kids to create a better world for her and her generation.

To be the change he wants to see from the next generation, Bennett is expressing his imagination in a distinctive way that includes the national anthem, but also beyond it. He thinks people often focus too much about which athletes are standing, sitting, raising a fist or lending a hand during the national anthem rather than the message they're getting across.

"I look around the national anthem, and you still got people selling beers and peanuts, people probably in the bathroom taking a [expletive], babies crying and all kinds of [expletive] going on," Bennett said. "It's not like everybody is standing there with attention looking at the flag when the national anthem is going on. You got people doing all kinds of [expletive]. People yelling at you, trying to get a picture of you. I think so. I think people do miss the point. But anything you do, when you've got a good purpose or whatever it is, it doesn't really matter. Most people won't get it. You've just got to keep plugging away, keep chugging away and eventually, change will happen. Change doesn't happen overnight. It takes effort, and it takes a lot of change. It takes one person to sit down. Rosa Parks sat down. Change happened. So, things just come along and it evolves over time.

"I think guys are going to be doing a lot of different things, a lot of different battles and a lot of different things in the same war. I think, at the end of the day, I think the change will come - not only for the black players, but white players. The entire world wants to see the world become a better place. I think everyone is starting to get more involved and trying to look at it more so like, 'What can I do to do my part?' And, 'How can I help out?' I think that's one of the coolest things right now."
More from The Post: After the NFL's white players are called out, Eagles' Chris Long steps up Michael Bennett: 'It would take a white player to really get things changed' Famed former cop Frank Serpico joins NYPD for rally in support of Colin Kaepernick Boston, Tampa teams joining athletes to address racial injustice after Charlottesville

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NFL's Bennett brothers show two sides of activism. For Martellus Bennett, that's political cartooning.

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Martellus Bennett didn't protest the national anthem. The Green Bay Packers tight end stood up with the rest of his teammates, and Washington Redskins players, during the second preseason contest at FedEx Field on Saturday. "Nah, I'm chilling," Bennett responded when asked about it after the game.

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6 things to know about the history of NFL protests

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With more than 200 NFL players choosing to sit or kneel while the national anthem played before football games over this past weekend - largely in response to President Trump's continued criticism of athletes participating in such demonstrations - it's worth remembering that this movement didn't just begin last year with former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision to kneel in order to make a statement about how the country is not practicing what it preaches.

In fact, this week's protests are simply the latest in a long history of athletes making public statements in the name of civil rights and American patriotism. Here are the answers to some key questions about the moments that led up to the NFL players' latest act of resistance:

Why is "The Star-Spangled Banner" part of sporting events?

The patriotic song became a fixture at sporting events during the last century. During the seventh-inning stretch of Game 1 between the Red Sox and the Cubs on Sept. 5, 1918, a Red Sox third baseman and furloughed U.S. Navy sailor sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" - then just a military anthem, not the official national anthem - as a band played in the outfield. His rendition was particularly moving because it took place as American soldiers were fighting abroad in World War I. The crowd's positive response was a major reason why the song was incorporated into sporting events throughout the nation. It became a permanent fixture of football games in the wake of World War II.

Is the anthem itself controversial?

Some supporters believe that the history behind the anthem itself makes its performance a fitting time for African-American athletes to protest, given the politics of its writer, Francis Scott Key. "He supported sending free blacks (not slaves) back to Africa and, with a few exceptions, was about as pro-slavery, anti-black and anti-abolitionist as you could get at the time," Jason Johnson, a political scientist at Morgan State University, writes for In addition, a third stanza that is almost never sung is specifically disparaging toward the runaway slaves who joined the British Army during the War of 1812 in exchange for their freedom.

Are the players the first to use kneeling as a protest?

Kneeling has long been an act of prayer and political activism. Take, for example, a photo from 1965 that's gone viral in the last 24 hours, featuring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights activists kneeling in prayer Selma, Ala., after more than 250 protesters were arrested on a march to the Dallas County Alabama courthouse to help get fellow African-Americans registered to vote.
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Have football players protested before?

Yes. For example, a week before the American Football League's all-star game was set to kick-off in New Orleans, 21 African-American professional players refused to play in the Big Easy because of discrimination that made it impossible for them to enjoy themselves in the week leading up to the game. One of the leaders of the walkout, former Oakland Raiders running back Clem Daniels, recently recalled to TIME the prejudice he and fellow faced trying to do everything from hail a cab to hanging up a coat.

The raised fist of the "Black Power" salute is perhaps most famously associated, at least within athletics, with its use during the 1968 Olympics. LIFE.com has shared the story of the iconic photo of the moment during the medal ceremony for the men's 200-meter event at the Summer Games in Mexico City, when gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos raised glove-covered fists. Silver medalist Peter Norman supported them by wearing a badge representing the Olympic Project for Human Rights. "We were just human beings who saw a need to bring attention to the inequality in our country," Smith said years later, in a 1999 documentary on the moment Fists of Freedom.

What about other sports?

There are many athletes outside of football who helped pave the way for the national anthem protests of 2017, and at least one famous story shows how standing up a cause can have ramifications long after the game ends. The late boxer Muhammad Ali, a devout Muslim, is not only known for being the first three-time heavyweight world champion, but also for refusing to enlisting in the Vietnam draft three times, arguing that "war is against the teachings of the Koran." TIME's Oct. 3, 2016, cover story on today's football protests characterized Ali as a cautionary tale, whose draft evasion conviction in 1967 showed that there can be "consequences for sticking one's neck out." For Ali, that consequence was being stripped of his boxing license and titles, including the heavyweight crown he won by beating Sonny Liston in 1964. (A TIME obituary Ali elaborates on his fight to be recognized as a conscientious objector, while this LIFE.com photo gallery documents his life in exile.) Ali's conviction was eventually reversed by the Supreme Court but the episode remained an example of the high stakes of protest - and today, three weeks into the NFL season, Kaepernick remains unsigned.

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Has This Happened Before? 6 Things to Know About the History Behind NFL Protests

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With more than 200 NFL players choosing to sit or kneel while the national anthem played before football games over this past weekend - largely in response to President Trump's continued criticism of athletes participating in such demonstrations - it's worth remembering that this movement didn't just begin last year with former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision to kneel in order to make a statement about how the country is not practicing what it preaches.

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Throughout his conversation with sportscaster James Brown '73, Harry Edwards repeated one sentence: "We're better than this." And that hopeful phrase became a theme of sorts for " From Robinson to Kaepernick: The Evolution of Athlete Activism," a JFK Jr. Forum at the Harvard Kennedy School on Wednesday.

Brown and Edwards, a UC Berkeley professor emeritus, charted the history of African-American athletes fighting for legitimacy since the turn of the 20th century, when they were considered intellectually and physically incapable of participating in mainstream sports. Starting with Jack Johnson's defeat of white heavyweight champion Tommy Burns, black athletes have stood on one another's shoulders to advance Civil Rights. From Jesse Owens advocating the boycott of and then dominating the 1936 Olympics, to Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier, to Muhammed Ali refusing to fight in Vietnam, African-American athletes have pushed the limits of their clout in support of racial equality.

Today, in what Edwards describes as the fourth wave of athletic activism, black athletes are acutely aware of the expectation that they use their celebrity to help others. He referenced Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, who leveraged his endorsement deal with Under Armour when he called CEO Kevin Plank about his statement of support for President Trump. In response, Plank took out a full-page ad in The New York Times to clarify his sentiments.

Curry's phone call, though, has not received a tenth of the coverage of the silent protest by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who became controversial since he began taking a knee during the national anthem at the start of the 2016 NFL preseason. Edwards, who was a staff consultant for the 49ers under head coach Bill Walsh during the 1980s, strongly supports Kaepernick's activism, which he said has inspired other athletes.

"You have athletes who are lining up and saying, 'What we see going on in the community is wrong. We're better than that,'" Edwards said. "They also realize - as Michael Bennett found out [when he was allegedly handcuffed and threatened by police in Las Vegas] - that the only reason it was Michael Brown lying in the street in Ferguson, Missouri, and not Michael Bennett and not LeBron James and not Malcolm Jenkins, is because they were not there. Because they are subject to the same kind of treatment."

Past progress in race relations can appear fleeting. Edwards said statistics show that segregation in many cities and schools is currently worse than it was right after Jim Crow, and more African-Americans are killed by police today than were recorded lynched in the 19th century. "There is no final victory," he said.

Several times during the discussion, Edwards mentioned the plight of female athletes, in particular what he called the "assault" on Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood that he believes endangers Title IX. He said Roe helped colleges see female athletes as assets, rather than flight risks who might leave their school and sport if they became pregnant.

Edwards also lauded to Knox College basketballer Ariyana Smith, who became the first athlete to protest Brown's killing when she lay down during the anthem for 4 minutes and 20 seconds - a nod to the 4 hours and 20 minutes that Brown was left dead in the street. Knox briefly rescinded her scholarship, but Smith refused to return, deciding to take her talents elsewhere.

Brown asked if college athletes, such as the Crimson basketball team, which co-sponsored the forum, should follow the pros' examples.

"You don't do the things that [those activists] do unless you love this country," Edwards told them. He emphasized that college athletes are students first, and should use their educations to understand the history of African-American athlete activism in the U.S. "Dream with your eyes open. You got to understand there is a price to pay."

Edwards also had words for President Trump. "We've had ignorant people in there before, that's not a big deal," he said to laughter. But when Trump speaks about Muslims, women, African-Americans, and protesters, Edwards said, the vitriol that laces his words prevents forward movement.

"He's going to find himself on the same shelf of presidential irrelevancy with Chester A. Arthur and Franklin Pierce."

When the forum segued into a Q&A session, the mother of a 9/11 victim said she thought Kaepernick's protest was disrespectful to the families who lost loved ones in the 2001 attacks.

"[Is there] a better voice than taking a knee?" she asked.

Edwards replied that reducing loss to a numbers game misses the point. He pointed out that far more African-Americans have been killed at the hands of the U.S. government than Americans were lost on 9/11.

"We can disagree about the method as long as we're on the same page about the message. We can discuss the method so long as there's no antagonism. ... But it can't be about Ray Lewis versus Kaepernick, about Michael Vick versus Kaepernick. It's not about Kaepernick cutting his hair or ... talking softer. Those are not the issues," he said, referring to criticisms from some former black athletes.

Edwards said the "right protest" grows organically out of the movement, referencing the evolution of Black Lives Matter from a Twitter hashtag to a national slogan and finally into a movement. "Started by three black women, by the way," he noted.

Edwards said that although it can seem at times that the nation is at a breaking point, he feels optimistic about the future of the country.

"We were better after the Civil War; we were better after the Labor Movement; we were better after the Civil Rights Movement, Women's Rights Movement, the anti-war protests," he concluded. "We're gonna come out of this okay."
John Michael Baglione is a writer and author residing in Boston. His work can be found at johnmichaeltxt.com.

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When black athletes stand up - or take a knee - for equal rights

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Throughout his conversation with sportscaster James Brown '73, Harry Edwards repeated one sentence: "We're better than this." And that hopeful phrase became a theme of sorts for " From Robinson to Kaepernick: The Evolution of Athlete Activism," a JFK Jr. Forum at the Harvard Kennedy School on Wednesday.

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When Muhammad Ali Refused to Go to Vietnam

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His decision to fight in the war transcended the boxing ring, which he had dominated, at great personal cost.

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Olympic athletes who protested

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When the medals were awarded for the men's 200-meter sprint at the 1968 Olympic Games, Life magazine photographer John Dominis was only about 20 feet away from the podium. "I didn't think it was a big news event," Dominis says. "I was expecting a normal ceremony. I hardly noticed what was happening when I was shooting."

Indeed, the ceremony that October 16 "actually passed without much general notice in the packed Olympic Stadium," New York Times correspondent Joseph M. Sheehan reported from Mexico City. But by the time Sheehan's observation appeared in print three days later, the event had become front-page news: for politicizing the Games, U.S. Olympic officials, under pressure from the International Olympic Committee, had suspended medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos and sent them packing.

Smith and Carlos, winners of the gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the event, had come to the ceremony dressed to protest: wearing black socks and no shoes to symbolize African-American poverty, a black glove to express African-American strength and unity. (Smith also wore a scarf, and Carlos beads, in memory of lynching victims.) As the national anthem played and an international TV audience watched, each man bowed his head and raised a fist. After the two were banished, images of their gesture entered the iconography of athletic protest.

"It was a polarizing moment because it was seen as an example of black power radicalism," says Doug Hartmann, a University of Minnesota sociologist and the author of Race, Culture, and the Revolt of the Black Athlete: The 1968 Olympic Protests and Their Aftermath. "Mainstream America hated what they did."

The United States was already deeply divided over the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement, and the serial traumas of 1968-mounting antiwar protests, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, the beating of protesters during the Democratic National Convention by Chicago police-put those rifts into high relief. Before the Olympics, many African-American athletes had talked of joining a boycott of the Games to protest racial inequities in the United States. But the boycott, organized by sociologist Harry Edwards, never came off.

As students at San Jose State University, where Edwards was teaching, Smith and Carlos took part in that conversation. Carlos, born and raised in Harlem, was "an extreme extrovert with a challenging personality," says Edwards, now emeritus professor of sociology at the University of California at Berkeley. Smith, the son of sharecroppers who grew up in rural Texas and California, was "a much softer, private person." When they raised their fists on the medals stand, they were acting on their own.

Among the Games athletes, opinions were divided. Australia's Peter Norman, the winner of the silver medal in the 200-meter sprint, mounted the podium wearing a badge supporting Edwards' organization. Heavyweight boxer George Foreman-who would win a gold medal and wave an American flag in the ring-dismissed the protest, saying, "That's for college kids." The four women runners on the U.S. 400-meter relay team dedicated their victory to the exiled sprinters. A representative of the USSR was quoted as saying, perhaps inevitably, "The Soviet Union never has used the Olympic Games for propaganda purposes."

Smith and Carlos returned home to a wave of opprobrium-they were "black-skinned storm troopers," in the words of Brent Musburger, who would gain fame as a TV sportscaster but was then a columnist for the Chicago American newspaper-and anonymous death threats. The pressure, Carlos says, was a factor in his then-wife's suicide in 1977. "One minute everything was sunny and happy, the next minute was chaos and crazy," he says. Smith recalls, "I had no job and no education, and I was married with a 7-month-old son."

Both men played professional football briefly. Then Carlos worked at a series of dead-end jobs before becoming a counselor at Palm Springs High School, where he has been for the past 20 years. Now 63 and remarried, he has four living children (a stepson died in 1998). Smith earned a bachelor's degree in social science from San Jose State in 1969 and a master's in sociology from the Goddard-Cambridge Graduate Program in Social Change in Boston in 1976. After teaching and coaching at Oberlin College in Ohio, he settled in Southern California, where he taught sociology and health and coached track at Santa Monica College. Now 64 and retired, he lives with his third wife, Delois, outside Atlanta. He has nine children and stepchildren.

The two athletes share what Smith calls a "strained and strange" relationship. Carlos says he actually let Smith pass him in 1968 because "Tommie Smith would have never put his fist in the sky had I won that race." Smith, who won the race in a world-record 19.83 seconds, dismisses that claim as nonsense.

But both men insist they have no regrets about 1968. "I went up there as a dignified black man and said: 'What's going on is wrong,' " Carlos says. Their protest, Smith says, "was a cry for freedom and for human rights. We had to be seen because we couldn't be heard."

David Davis is a contributing sportswriter at Los Angeles magazine.

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When the medals were awarded for the men's 200-meter sprint at the 1968 Olympic Games, Life magazine photographer John Dominis was only about 20 feet away from the podium. "I didn't think it was a big news event," Dominis says. "I was expecting a normal ceremony.

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Lone Steelers player stands for national anthem

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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin explained on Sunday morning why his team would remain in the locker room during the national anthem in Chicago. He didn't want his team to be part of a political discussion, or there to be division in the locker room as a result of players protesting or not protesting. But in the end there was one player who took the field, offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva.

Villanueva's decision surprised the rest of his teammates. One reason the Steelers decided stay off the field during the nation anthem was because Villanueva didn't want to be singled out while he stood.

"We thought we were all in attention with the same agreement, obviously," linebacker James Harrison told Penn Live. "But I guess we weren't."

"I don't want to go into that, but we support our guy Al. He feels he had to do it. This guy served our country, and we thank him for it," Cam Hayward said when asked about it after the game.

During the national anthem, Villanueva's teammates could be seen behind him in the tunnel, several with their hands over the hearts as well, raising the question of why he was out in front of them.

Villanueva's career in the NFL didn't begin until 2014. Prior to that, he served three tours of duty in Afghanistan, where he served as a Captain in the army, as well as being an army ranger.

Villanueva was critical of Colin Kaepernick's anthem protest in August of 2016, when he said:

"I don't know if the most effective way is to sit down during the national anthem with a country that's providing you freedom, providing you $16 million a year ... when there are black minorities that are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan for less than $20,000 a year."

However, he was also quick to acknowledge the problems in this country.

"I will be the first one to hold hands with Colin Kaepernick and do something about the way minorities are being treated in the United States, the injustice that is happening with police brutality, the justice system, inequalities in pay," Villanueva said. "You can't do it by looking away from the people that are trying to protect our freedom and our country."

The Steelers organization has not released a statement following Donald Trump's statements on boycotting the NFL due to protests during the anthem.

UPDATE: On Monday, Villanueva talked to reporters about the team's decision to forgo the national anthem.

Although he recognized what the flag means to veterans, he also feels bad for not supporting the team-wide decision that was made. Villanueva says going out while everyone else stayed in the locker room "threw them under the bus unintentionally." He reiterated that he supports anyone who decides to protest. According to Chris Adamski of the Tribune-Review, Villanueva says he is embarrassed for not joining his teammates during the anthem:

Alejandro Villaneuva: "Every single time I see that picture of me standing by myself, I feel embarrassed."
- Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) September 25, 2017

NFL's message of 'unity' has diluted Colin Kaepernick's reasons for protest

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Alejandro Villanueva, a U.S. Army veteran, was the lone Steeler on the field during national anthem

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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin explained on Sunday morning why his team would remain in the locker room during the national anthem in Chicago. He didn't want his team to be part of a political discussion, or there to be division in the locker room as a result of players protesting or not protesting.

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History of the national anthem and its protests

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It has been hard to ignore the mixing of sports and politics recently, as President Donald Trump -- both on the stump and on Twitter -- repeatedly expressed his disgust with athletes who take a knee during the pre-game rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. Most NFL players, and some coaches and owners, reacted against Trump's words by linking arms as the national anthem was played before games on Sept. 24 and 25, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans remained largely off-field for the anthem.

The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017

The recent controversy over the national anthem began in 2016, when then-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick initially sat, and later switched to taking a knee, during the pre-game anthem to protest racial discrimination, especially at the hands of police.

With increased interest in the national anthem and its role at sporting events, we decided to take a closer look at some of its history.

How long has the Star-Spangled Banner been played at sporting events?

While the Star-Spangled Banner only became the nation's official anthem in 1931, the lyrics date back to 1814, the anthem was played sporadically in the 1800s, several experts said.

The earliest rendition came at the opening of Union Grounds park in Brooklyn on May 15, 1862 , which was during the Civil War, said John Thorn, the historian for Major League Baseball. The first documented example from opening day occurred in Philadelphia on April 22, 1897.
Union Grounds, Brooklyn, 1865
A key turning point came during the 1918 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox.

That year's World Series was held during World War I, and "the public mood was sullen and anxious," Luke Cyphers and Ethan Trex wrote in ESPN The Magazine in 2011. "The war strained the economy and the workforce, including baseball's. The government began drafting major leaguers for military service that summer and ordered baseball to end the regular season by Labor Day."

The mood, however, perked up considerably when a brass band began playing the Star-Spangled Banner during the seventh-inning stretch of one game.

"The crowd, already standing, showed its first real signs of life all day, joining in a spontaneous sing-along, haltingly at first, then finishing with flair," Cyphers and Trex wrote. "The scene made such an impression that the New York Times opened its recap of the game not with a description of the action on the field but with an account of the impromptu singing."

The scene also made an impression on the two teams' front offices. The Cubs' management made sure the band played the anthem during the next two games as well, and attendance, which had been in a rut, increased. When the series moved to Boston's Fenway Park, officials moved the playing of the anthem to the pregame festivities, coupled with the introduction of wounded soldiers who had received free tickets," the authors wrote.

The anthem was played periodically in baseball after that, but it took until another war -- World War II -- before it was played before essentially every game.

Playing the national anthem before regular season games "was not universal in baseball until 1942 and the start of World War II, though some clubs started the practice in 1941," said Michael Teevan, a spokesman for Major League Baseball.

Since then, "the national anthem has been played before virtually every professional - and many collegiate and high school - baseball, football, basketball, hockey and soccer contests in this country," said Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography and What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life.

In the period after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the anthem took on special meaning at sporting events, and some teams arranged pregame events with survivors and first responders. In some cases, a rendition of America the Beautiful was added, said Elliott J. Gorn, a Loyola University of Chicago historian and co-author of A Brief History of American Sports.

Singing the national anthem before National Football League games has been ongoing for "decades," said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy.

One aspect of this history that has spawned some confusion in recent days concerns a change made in 2009.

Until that year, players in primetime games would remain inside their locker rooms while the anthem was sung, due to timing concerns for the television networks. After 2009, the players in primetime games have been on the field during the anthem, McCarthy said.

But this change only affected primetime games. For all other games -- typically held at 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. Eastern -- players had already been stationed on the field for the national anthem. So the 2009 change simply applied to primetime games the rules that had already been in place for daytime games.

Part of the confusion, McCarthy said, may be that television networks often haven't shown the national anthem being played.

How common have anthem-related protests been?

In 1968, U.S. Olympic athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave a raised-fist "black power" salute on the medal stand as the Star-Spangled Banner was being played. They were thrown out of the Olympics. Four years later, U.S. Olympians Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett, who were also African-American, were barred from further competition when they were considered to have shown insufficient respect from the medal stand.

Some fans also found room to express their views during the anthem. "During the Vietnam era, it was not uncommon for fans -- not enormous numbers, but some -- to remain seated during the anthem," Gorn said.

In March 1996, the National Basketball Association suspended the Denver Nuggets' Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. A convert to Islam, Abdul-Rauf said he did not believe in standing for any nationalistic ideology, according to the New York Times.

As for baseball, Cassidy Lent, a reference librarian at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., said she was not aware of any protests beyond the one by Bruce Maxwell of the Oakland A's in the wake of Trump's comments.

A footnote: In his 1972 autobiography, I Never Had It Made, Jackie Robinson -- who broke baseball's color line in 1947 -- wrote, "As I write this twenty years later, I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a black man in a white world."

Is there an NFL rule against kneeling during the anthem?

This notion gained attention on social media in the wake of Trump's comments and the NFL's reaction. One version we came across said the anthem "must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the sideline for the National Anthem," standing, facing the flag, helmets in left hands.

This language does not appear in the NFL Rule Book, as the post indicates. However, it is apparently included in a separate document called the "game operations manual." This document is not online, so we can't review it first-hand, but McCarthy, the NFL spokesman, said it is distributed by the league to all of its member teams.

While text circulating on social media would seem to suggest there will be consequences for protesting during the anthem, there is discretion involved -- and the NFL has repeatedly stated that it will not punish players for taking a knee during the anthem.

McCarthy told PolitiFact that "players are strongly encouraged, but not required, to stand during the national anthem." He has used essentially the same language in previous statements going back to 2016.

Another NFL spokesman, Joe Lockhart, said during a conference call with reporters on Sept. 25 that "there will be no discipline handed down this week." He added, "We also believe our players have a right to express themselves."

CLARIFICATION, Sept. 27, 2017: This article has been updated to provide more specificity in describing the origin of Kaepernick's protest. For three games beginning on Aug. 14, Kaepernick sat during the anthem. Then, after consulting former Green Beret and former NFL player Nate Boyer about the best way to make his point without disrespecting the military, Kaepernick began taking a knee in games beginning on Sept. 1.

Donald Trump, remarks at a campaign event for Luther Strange in Alabama, Sept. 22, 2017

ESPN The Magazine, " The song remains the same," Sept 8, 2011

Washington Post, " No discipline for anthem-skipping teams as NFL fires back at Trump," Sept. 25, 2017

New York Times, " National Anthem Protests by Black Athletes Have a Long History," Sept. 25, 2017

NFL, " 2017 Official Playing Rules of the National Football League," accessed Sept. 25, 2017

John Thorn, " The Star Spangled Banner: In baseball it goes back, back, back," May 23, 2017

NBC Sports, " NFL: Players are encouraged but not required to stand for national anthem," Aug. 27, 2016

Time magazine, " Does the NFL Require Players to Stand for the National Anthem?" Sept. 25, 2017

History.com, " 1931: 'The Star-Spangled Banner' becomes official," accessed Sept. 25, 2017

Snopes.com, " Jackie Robinson: 'I Cannot Stand and Sing the Anthem. I Cannot Salute the Flag,'" Sept. 24, 2017

Email interview with Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography and What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life, Sept. 25, 2017

Email interview with Elliott J. Gorn, a Loyola University of Chicago historian and co-author of A Brief History of American Sports, Sept. 25, 2017

Email interview with Cassidy Lent, reference librarian at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., Sept. 25, 2017

Email interview with John Thorn, official historian for Major League Baseball, Sept. 25, 2017

Interview with Brian McCarthy, NFL spokesman, Sept. 25, 2017

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PolitiFact - A short history of the national anthem, protests and the NFL

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It has been hard to ignore the mixing of sports and politics recently, as President Donald Trump -- both on the stump an

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Jackie Robinson on why he had issues standing with the national anthem

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Baseball player Jackie Robinson said, "I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a black man in a white world."

Baseball Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson, who died at the age of 53 in 1972, would simply be remembered as one of the greatest players of all time were it not for the color of his skin and the special circumstances of his career. On 15 April 1947, Robinson became the first African American to play major league baseball since the game became completely segregated in the 1880s. He had been hired away from the Kansas City Monarchs, a Negro League team, by Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey, who, in what came to be called "the noble experiment," carefully orchestrated Robinson's introduction to the general public, first via a stint with the minor league Montreal Royals, then by calling him up for his major league debut with the Dodgers at the start of the 1947 season.

With the color line officially broken, the way was paved for more African American players to enter the major leagues, bringing 60 years of segregation in baseball to close. Jackie Robinson ultimately became a much-beloved public figure and an emblem for the changes in race relations that were gradually beginning to occur across America. Years later, Martin Luther King Jr. would honor Robinson as a "legend and a symbol" who "challenged the dark skies of intolerance and frustration." What many people didn't realize was how hard it had been for him.

When he came to write his autobiography, I Never Had It Made, with Alfred Duckett in 1972, Robinson said he felt proud, but seemed bitter as well:

It hadn't been easy. Some of my own teammates refused to accept me because I was black. I had been forced to live with snubs and rebuffs and rejections. Within the club, Mr. Rickey had put down rebellion by letting my teammates know that anyone who didn't want to accept me could leave. But the problems within the Dodgers club had been minor compared to the opposition outside. It hadn't been that easy to fight the resentment expressed by players on other teams, by the team owners, or by bigoted fans screaming "nigger." The hate mail piled up. There were threats against me and my family and even out-and-out attempts at physical harm to me.

Some things counterbalanced this ugliness. Black people supported me with total loyalty. They supported me morally: they came to sit in a hostile audience in unprecedented numbers to make the turnstiles hum as they never had before at ballparks all over the nation. Money is America's God, and business people can dig black power if it coincides with green power, so these fans were important to the success of Mr. Rickey's "Noble Experiment."

Some of the Dodgers who swore they would never play with a black man had a change of mind when they realized I was a good ballplayer who could be helpful in their earning a few thousand more dollars in World Series money. After the initial resistance to me had been crushed, my teammates started to give me tips on how to improve my game. They hadn't changed because they liked me any better, they had changed because I could help fill their wallets.

Robinson wrote that despite developing genuine friendships with some of his teammates, and feeling genuine love from many of the fans, he had never stopped feeling like an outsider in his own game, and in his own country:

There I was, the black grandson of a slave, the son of a black sharecropper, part of a historic occasion, a symbolic hero to my people. The air was sparkling. The sunlight was warm. The band struck up the national anthem. The flag billowed in the wind. It should have been a glorious moment for me as the stirring words of the national anthem poured from the stands. Perhaps, it was, but then again, perhaps, the anthem could be called the theme song for a drama called The Noble Experiment. Today, as I look back on that opening game of my first world series, I must tell you that it was Mr. Rickey's drama and that I was only a principal actor. As I write this twenty years later, I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a black man in a white world. In 1972, in 1947, at my birth in 1919, I know that I never had it made.

Got a tip or a rumor? Contact us here.

Snopes Delivered to Your Inbox:

Goldman, Steven. "The Branch Rickey Miracle."
SB Nation. 10 April 2013.

Robinson, Jackie and Duckett, Alfred. I Never Had It Made.
New York: Putnam, 1972. ISBN 1-44209-067-7.

Swaine, Jack. "Jackie Robinson."
Society for American Baseball Research.

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Jackie Robinson: 'I Cannot Stand and Sing the Anthem. I Cannot Salute the Flag'

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Baseball player Jackie Robinson said, "I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a black man in a white world." Baseball Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson, who died at the age of 53 in 1972, would simply be remembered as one of the greatest players of all time were it not for the color of his skin and the special circumstances of his career.

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"I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a black man in a white world." Jackie Robinson, 1972

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National Anthem: Steelers at Bears on Sept. 24

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To display unity in light of President Donald Trump's recent comments, the Pittsburgh Steelers stayed in their locker room when the national anthem was played Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Bears locked arms on their sideline.

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Colin Kaepernick's explanation behind taking the knee

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The former Super Bowl starting quarterback's decision to go public comes while he is fighting for his football life with the 49ers, who drafted him in the second round in 2011. He lost his starting job last season after being one of the most promising players in the NFL during his run under former coach Jim Harbaugh.

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Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem

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The former Super Bowl starting quarterback's decision to go public comes while he is fighting for his football life with the 49ers, who drafted him in the second round in 2011. He lost his starting job last season after being one of the most promising players in the NFL during his run under former coach Jim Harbaugh.

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Stephen Curry's disgust at Sports Illustrated's decision to keep Colin Kaepernick off its cover

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Sports Illustrated dedicated its cover to the recent protests against racial inequality that have spiked since President Donald Trump criticized NBA and NFL athletes over the weekend, but the result was shortsighted, excluding the one man who really belonged front and center: Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who first knelt during the national anthem to protest social injustice.

As a result, the athlete who was Photoshopped front and center onto the cover - Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry - took serious issue with the magazine's decision to pose him linking arms with Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Curry first made his displeasure known in an Instagram post pointing out Kaepernick's absence. The two-time NBA MVP simply responded with an extended, "Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo."

Curry then elaborated after Wednesday's practice:

"That was terrible," he told reporters. "It's just kind of capitalizing on the hoopla and the media and all that nonsense. The real people that understand exactly what's been going on, and who's really been active and vocal and truly making a difference, if you don't have Kaepernick front and center on that, something's wrong.

"It's kind of hard to see how certain narratives take place, being prisoners of the moment. I was kind of joking around yesterday when I saw that certain Instagram handle. At the end of the day, that stuff really doesn't matter. It's about the true message and really highlighting the people that are doing the right thing."

Curry found himself at the eye of a weekend tweet storm from Trump, when the president rescinded a White House invitation to the NBA champion Warriors after Curry made clear his intent not to attend.

Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017

James then rushed to Curry's defense:

U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain't going! So therefore ain't no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!

- LeBron James (@KingJames) September 23, 2017

On Monday, the Cavaliers star went even further in his criticism of the president, who referred to NFL players who kneel in protest of racial inequality during the national anthem as " sons of bitches."

Goodell's inclusion on the Sports Illustrated was especially strange, though, mostly because Kaepernick is the obvious NFL face of the movement, and the commissioner issued an apathetic response to Trump's verbal attack on both the players and the billion-dollar industry as a whole:

For Sports Illustrated's part, executive editor Stephen Cannella tried to explain the magazine staff's decision, telling Sports Illustrated now, "What we wanted to capture with this cover [was], yes, the news of the weekend. But we thought the enduring message of what we saw, especially on Sunday in the NFL, was this sense of unity." The headline on the cover read: "A nation divided, sports united."

That, too, was a misstep.
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While the NBA seemed fairly united in its support of racial equality and opposition of Trump, sports as a whole - just like the country - are not operating in unison. Trump propped up the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins for accepting his White House invite after he rescinded one from the Warriors, and NASCAR's Richard Petty went so far as to suggest the protesting athletes " ought to be out of the country."

As Curry said, "At the end of the day, that stuff really doesn't matter. It's about the true message and really highlighting the people that are doing the right thing." Sports Illustrated just missed the call.

Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don't Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach

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Stephen Curry rips Sports Illustrated for leaving Colin Kaepernick off cover

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Sports Illustrated dedicated its cover to the recent protests against racial inequality that have spiked since President Donald Trump criticized NBA and NFL athletes over the weekend, but the result was shortsighted, excluding the one man who really belonged front and center: Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who first knelt during the national anthem to protest social injustice.

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Some call for NFL to reinstate Kaepernick

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CLOSE

CARSON, Calif. - It's time for NFL owners to go beyond issuing statements and to make a statement: bring back quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

On Sunday, from an undisclosed location, Kaepernick retweeted on his Twitter account several images of NFL players wearing T-shirts that read #IMWITHKAP. NFL owners need to show they are as well.

They finally can dispel theories that Kaepernick has been blackballed for refusing to stand for the national anthem last season, or, fearing a blacklash from fans, that they simply lack the courage to give him another chance.

In May 2016, speaking at a campaign rally in Kentucky, President Trump said he was reading an article about NFL owners' fears about signing Kaepernick and he added, "They don't want to get a nasty tweet from Donald Trump. Do you believe that?"

Sean Payton: Saints coach on President Trump: 'We need a little bit more wisdom in that office'

Controversial call?: Falcons hang on to beat Lions late

More: NFL player protests sweep league after President Trump's hostile remarks

They got more than tweets the past three days. Trump called on the owners to fire or suspend players who protest during the national anthem. Typically averse to controversy, the owners were all but forced to take a stand.

And they took the right one by issuing statements opposing President Trump's controversial comments. In the process, many owners suggested, they support the players' right to protest social injustice and, by extension, that amounts to support for Kaepernick.

Make no mistake about the Kaepernick's impact on the remarkable events Sunday, when an unprecedented number of players across the league staged protests. During pregame warmups many wore #IMWITHKAP T-Shirts

Adding Kaepernick to an NFL roster is the next step, and the opportunity is as inevitable as the next injury. Quarterback is one of the most vulnerable positions in sports, and soon enough a team will need a backup. Can that team possibly go wrong by signing a quarterback who led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012?

Kaepernick, 29, became a free agent when he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers after last season. And it was a noteworthy season. While playing for an awful team, he had a quarterback rating of 90.7 - 17th among starters and ahead of the likes of Eli Manning and Philip Rivers.

He threw for 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions, and the stats are clear: This is a man who deserves to be on an NFL roster.

It's impossible to remove politics from the situation. But teams and Trump might be surprised by what they discover if they checked the sentiment among fans who showed up for Sunday's game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs Sunday.

Anthony Santa Cruz showed up wearing a No. 7 Kaepernick jersey and said the verbal jabs he'd drawn were all good-natured.

"Everybody's showing me love,'' he said, adding that he'd seen a couple of other fans wearing Kaepernick jerseys, which became top sellers after the quarterback began his protests during the 2016 preseason.

Not everybody was of the same mind.

Brad Jones, who said he served in the Air Force, voted for Trump and is a Chiefs fan, sat during pregame tailgating next to a big American flag and his wife, who said, "We are a true red, white and blue family.''

Of Kaepernick, Jones said, "That dude was raised by white parents. What's his gripe? He got all the privileges in the world.''

Of Trump, Jones said, "It's not his place (to comment on the player protests). Someone needs to take his phone for him.''

Jones expressed no interest in boycotting games if the player protests continue.
Gavin Neilson attached an American flag to his tailgate tent.

"I always bring it, but it's more important than ever,'' he said. "In my opinion, people have the right to protest. At the same time, I have the right to judge their protest, and I don't support it.

"But I don't think Trump should have interjected his opinion. I think it adds fuel to the fire.''

That fire, which has raged around Kaepernick, will die down soon after he joins a roster. During the season, there were multiple news media reports that he would no longer protest the anthem and, by donating almost $1 million to organizations supporting social justice, has proved his efforts were sincere.

So, apparently, is his hope to resume his career.

Earlier this month, Shaun King of the Fair Punishment Project said he asked Kaepernick if he still wanted to play and that Kaepernick responded, "Yes. I've never stopped. I'm ready right now.''

Now's the time, NFL.
Gallery: Best of NFL Week 3

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In wake of President Trump's harsh words, it's time for NFL owners to sign Colin Kaepernick

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CLOSE CARSON, Calif. - It's time for NFL owners to go beyond issuing statements and to make a statement: bring back quarterback Colin Kaepernick. On Sunday, from an undisclosed location, Kaepernick retweeted on his Twitter account several images of NFL players wearing T-shirts that read #IMWITHKAP.

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What people are missing about "take a knee" protests

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I'm not a football fan. I don't know the rules. I don't know which teams are the best. I like pinning Superbowl recipes and then watching the commercials and Halftime Show. But that's about it.

I know so little about football, that prior to Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand during the national anthem in 2016, I had never heard of him.

I must assume this was largely the point. Even someone like me, who would otherwise never know Kaepernick, suddenly began paying attention to what he was doing and why.

From the beginning, Kaepernick's motivations for refusing to stand during the national anthem were never elusive. The idea that those who refuse to stand during the anthem do not respect our country and military is maddening as Kaepernick himself has consistently shown tremendous respect for the military through both his words and actions.

Even Trump has pushed the false narrative that those who do not stand during the national anthem disrespect our country. Clearly, Trump didn't even consider why exactly someone might use the opportunity to exercise their constitutionally protected right to peacefully protest. It's unclear if he'll attack the millions of Americans who sit in their living rooms and eat corn chips while the national anthem is sung in the background next. He's quite unpredictable.

Let's ask the question Trump never did. Why is Kaepernick-- and now so many other sports figures from the NFL to youth football teams-- refusing to stand for the National Anthem?

Immediately after Kaepernick sat during the National Anthem, he held a locker room media session. For nearly 20 minutes, he directly described why he is protesting and answered reporter's many questions with an eloquence and candor severely lacking in a White House press briefing. Sarah Huckabee Sanders should have taken notes.

"People don't realize what's really going on in this country," Kaepernick said during the 2016 NFL media briefing. "There are a lot things that are going on that are unjust. People aren't being held accountable for. And that's something that needs to change. That's something that this country stands for freedom, liberty and justice for all. And it's not happening for all right now."

Given the lives that are unnecessarily lost in our country, Kaepernick's statement sounds less like a radical opinion and more like an undisputable fact. If our fellow citizens needlessly die and are treated unjustly on American soil, how can we stand for freedom, liberty, and justice for all?

If you truly love our country and see injustice, shouldn't you call attention to it? Isn't dissent fundamentally patriotic?

The protest of refusing to stand during the anthem has been frequently misconstrued as disrespectful to our nation's military. In that first media briefing after Kaepernick sat during the anthem, a reporter asked about his feelings towards the military and he was unwavering in his support--

"I have great respect for the men and women that have fought for this country," Kaepernick said. "I have family, I have friends that have gone and fought for this country. And they fight for freedom, they fight for the people, they fight for liberty and justice, for everyone. That's not happening. People are dying in vain because this country isn't holding their end of the bargain up, as far as giving freedom and justice, liberty to everybody. That's something that's not happening. I've seen videos, I've seen circumstances where men and women that have been in the military have come back and been treated unjustly by the country they have fought for, and have been murdered by the country they fought for, on our land. That's not right."

Kaepernick and others are not disrespecting the military. They are protesting in part because they respect the military and understand they deserve respect when they return home. Veterans are not immune from police brutality and unjust killings.

Do you remember when Kaepernick began to kneel instead of sit during the national anthem? Do you know why he suddenly changed?

Military veteran and Seattle Seahawks long-snapper Nate Boyer wrote an op-ed in Military Times expressing his conflicted feelings about Kaepernick's protest. He described the pride he personally felt standing on the sidelines during the national anthem and how hurt he would feel if he noticed a teammate sitting on the bench.

Instead of defending himself against such a criticism, Kaepernick welcomed it. He invited Boyer to a game and sent an Uber to drive him 120 miles to San Diego. In a Westin hotel lobby, they had a frank discussion about protesting racial oppression while showing respect for those who serve and have served in our nation's military.

49ers safety Eric Reid joined the conversation and suggested kneeling instead of sitting during the National Anthem. Boyer agreed that kneeling would be more respectful and also suggested Kaepernick join his teammates instead of isolating himself on the bench as he did previously.

To symbolize his respect for the military, he began kneeling.

Kaepernick continued his pledged support of veterans and military members beyond his conversation with Boyer. As part of his $1 million pledge to various charities, he donated a large amount to the Black Veterans for Social Justice.

Those who choose to kneel instead of standing for the anthem are showing love for their country simply by peacefully declaring we have a problem and it needs to be fixed. The "Take a Knee" protest is and has always been, about racial oppression and inequality. If we take offense to this act of peaceful protest as a sign of disrespecting our country, what does that say about our country?

I hope to see the day Colin Kaepernick stands with his hand over his heart filled with pride for our country. Not because he fears professional consequences or a mean tweet from the POTUS, but because together we finally demanded an end to racial oppression and became the great country we all deserve.

This was originally published on fortheloveofwinecoffee.com You can also follow Farrah on Facebook and Twitter.

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What Trump and Others Are Missing About Colin Kaepernick and the "Take a Knee" Protests

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I'm not a football fan. I don't know the rules. I don't know which teams are the best. I like pinning Superbowl recipes and then watching the commercials and Halftime Show. But that's about it. I know so little about football, that prior to Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand during the national anthem in 2016, I had never heard of him.

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"My Father Died in Afghanistan, and I Support Colin Kaepernick"

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The following year, I enrolled for college at Kansas State University, some 130 miles west of Arrowhead Stadium. At my first Wildcat football game in Bill Snyder Family Stadium, as I barely held myself together during the national anthem, the purple clad K-State fans shouted "Chiefs" in place of "brave." We're not even at a Chiefs game, I thought. Again, my blood boiled.

When it comes to "disrespecting the national anthem," people have been doing it for a long time. They do it because they're drunk or because it's tradition or because they just spent $200 on tickets and they are pumped to be in a stadium alongside tens of thousands of other fans. I worked in both professional and collegiate athletics for five years, and in both venues, I never felt like "The Star-Spangled Banner" got the respect it deserved. To the average fan, I observed, it was just something to get through before the main event.

So, I'm surprised at the number of white people on my Facebook feed who are offended because black football players are kneeling for the national anthem. As a Gold Star daughter - and, to be clear, I am not speaking for all Gold Star families - I'm not offended by what is happening in the N.F.L. right now. At least these players are "disrespecting" the national anthem for a cause.

Not once during these peaceful protests have I gotten the sense that the players' intention is to disrespect the military. Not once did I feel that they were taking my father's ultimate sacrifice for granted. Rather, they were exercising the exact freedoms my father gave his life for.

Protests are not supposed to be comfortable. They are supposed to incite change - and what these players are doing is working. Everywhere you look someone is talking about racism in the United States, all because a group of athletes have taken a stand. Whether it offends you or not, this is what a successful protest looks like.

Someone I know on Facebook wrote this:

So many better ways they could be helping their "cause" they could use their time and money to make their point or make a difference, but oh wait ... that would require some sort of effort or sacrifice on their part. Does this get attention? Sure. But probably not the right kind. And it's certainly not going to create any change.

Sure these "spoiled babies" (words I pulled from a different Facebook post) could do other things to make statements, like donate money to causes or maybe make a statement in a news conference. (By the way, they've been doing these things for a long time already.) But the audience they are targeting by kneeling will never see those other efforts. The family sitting next to me at a restaurant, this Facebook friend of mine, the president of the United States of America - perhaps none of them would be talking about it without those protests.

My Facebook poster writes, "it's certainly not going to create any change. " But I have to disagree. It has changed me. When the former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt for the first time during the national anthem last year, it made me angry. I wanted to scream at the television: "How could he! My father died for this country!" But when I finally stepped back and looked deeply into why he was kneeling, I realized it was not my place to be upset. It was not my place to tell other Americans how to exercise their rights.

To those who criticize Mr. Kaepernick: Before posting your rant, consider why these football players are kneeling. Try to understand their side. Read James Baldwin or Toni Morrison or Margo Jefferson; I guarantee you will look at things differently.

And consider this: The president of the United States is more outraged by the actions of football players than by the actions of white supremacists. Let that sink in. Is there anything more offensive to the United States military than flying the American flag next to the Nazi flag? Talk about spitting on my father's grave. President Trump gave white supremacists a pat on the hand, while black N.F.L. players get called "sons of bitches." If that's not proof of racial inequality in America, I'm not sure what is.

I will always respect my country's flag and national anthem. To me they are the symbols of freedom, of my dad's sacrifice. But my father did not die for symbols. He died for people. He died for the rights of all Americans, regardless of their race or religion. Right now, some Americans still face inequality. So they protest and create change. And I applaud them.

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united states defense and military forces

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Opinion | My Father Died in Afghanistan, and I Support Colin Kaepernick

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The following year, I enrolled for college at Kansas State University, some 130 miles west of Arrowhead Stadium. At my first Wildcat football game in Bill Snyder Family Stadium, as I barely held myself together during the national anthem, the purple clad K-State fans shouted "Chiefs" in place of "brave."

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Protests have spurred discussion

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I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.
- Colin Kaepernick, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Aug. 26, 2016

Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem. - NFL statement ,

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Kaep has every right to express his feelings/beliefs and ppl have every right to disagree. That's ok folks! - Damien Woody , former player

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Regardless of how you feel about the things that are going on in America today and the things that are going on across the world with gun violence and things of that nature, you've got to respect the flag. And you've got to stand up with your teammates. It's bigger than just you, in my opinion. - Victor Cruz , former New York Giants wide receiver

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I will be STANDING during the National Anthem tonight. Thank you to ALL (Gender,Race,Religion) that put your lives on the line for that flag - Justin Pugh , New York Giants offensive lineman

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Easy way to make sure you're NOT the starting QB on opening day. - Matthew Hasselbeck , former quarterback

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Activists changed USA for better but have to associate Nat Anthem w/ military that die for ur right to protest. Stand up. Find another way - Tyler Polumbus , former player

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My view is [the anthem] is about honoring the people that served and made the commitment to our country, some who even made the ultimate sacrifice. When I stand, that's what I'm standing for. I'm standing for the people that came before my father and the people that came after him. - Ron Rivera , Carolina Panthers head coach

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[The anthem] is important to me. It's a respect thing, okay? It's a self-respect thing. It's a respect for your teammates. It's a respect for this game. It's a respect for this country ... It's an opportunity to realize how lucky you are and what you're doing. - Jeff Fisher , former head coach

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Anytime I talk to my team about that, if there's personal beliefs or whatever that keep you from doing it, I understand. But at the same time, you know, you've got to look at the gifts that we have, the opportunity that we have to play a great game is through the men and women that serve our country. I think that's an opportunity right there just to show respect, and I think that's why when you see our team, every one of us are on that line and that's kind of our way of giving thanks. - Rex Ryan , former head coach

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I will always stand for the national anthem. I will also acknowledge the fact that racism is real. People deal with it every day. It's wrong. - Kyle Long , Chicago Bears offensive lineman

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I agree that America is not perfect. I agree that there are a lot of issues with minorities in this country. And I agree that we should do something about it. But I don't know if the most effective way is to sit down when the National Anthem of a country that has provided you freedom and is providing you $60 million a year is the best way to do it, when there are black minorities that are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan that are protecting our freedom for less than $20,000 a year.
- Alejandro Villanueva, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman, Aug. 29, 2016

I am with him 100 percent. ... Now if you ask me 'Would I do that?' No I won't, because I see it a little differently. I'm an American citizen, I pay my taxes, I want my equal rights but this is my country, and consequently I don't want to open up for ISIS or anybody that will take away what we've already gained. - Jim Brown , former Cleveland Browns player and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

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I disagree. I wholeheartedly disagree. Not that he wants to speak out about a very important issue. No, he can speak out about a very important issue. But there's plenty of other ways that you can do that in a peaceful manner that doesn't involve being disrespectful to the American flag. - Drew Brees , New Orleans Saints quarterback

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I respect his decision to stand up for how he feels, but I don't think you do it in that manner. I think you stand up for the national anthem. It's bigger than just what's going on around our country. You've got people fighting for our lives, fighting for our country every day. - Kenny Vaccaro , New Orleans Saints safety

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It's not equal justice and liberty for all. To stand up for what you believe in, to be willing to take the lumps and hits for what you believe in, I think he should be commended. - Bart Scott , former player

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I cannot say it in the strongest, most direct way, that it's an embarrassment and it's about as disrespectful as any athlete has ever been. ... I don't care what the cause is. The NFL football field is not a place for somebody to further their political ambitions. - Boomer Esiason , former player and current analyst

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Things have happened in Louisiana and the injustices that are happening could have happened to one of my family members. It touched close to home and I just wanted to show my support to him and let him know that he is not the only person who feels the way that he feels. There are a lot of people out there that feel that way. - Eric Reid , San Francisco 49ers safety

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A lot of scrutiny happens when an athlete starts talking about race, but the truth of the matter is we've just got to do right by each other, no matter what color you are. Certain things that have happened in our life, in our lifetime, it is kind of embarrassing to be affiliated with, but it still happens. Who am I to say, 'Colin, you're wrong'? And who am I to say, 'Bro, you're right?' Because we all have the right to think whatever we want to think, and I respect that about everybody.
- Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers quarterback, Aug. 1, 2016

I'm not against the military. I'm not against the police or America. I'm against social injustice. - Brandon Marshall , Denver Broncos linebacker

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I come from a majority black community from Oakland, California ... so the struggle, I seen it. I still have some family in the struggle. All I'm saying is we want to educate those, the youth that's coming up. - Marcus Peters , Kansas City Chiefs cornerback

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I want to make it clear that there is no disrespect to the military or to police officers - I'm not about that. I love everyone. I would like to keep moving forward in the right direction with everybody: equal rights, equal opportunity. From my position, it doesn't seem that it's happening. That's why I took a stand. - Jelani Jenkins , Oakland Raiders linebacker

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If it's about the knee that people are upset about, every Sunday people of faith take a knee to give thanks to their Lord and savior, whatever faith or religion that they are. It's not about a knee, it's not about the [symbolism], it's about the message. They say it's not the time to do this, but when is the time? - Arian Foster , former Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans running back

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These guys are making a conversation of something that I think is a very important topic in this country, and I'm 100 percent supportive of them. This is a country, you're allowed to really indicate what your preferences are and how your feeling and that's what makes us so great, and I think it's great, and I applaud them for what they're doing. - Stephen Ross , Miami Dolphins owner

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There was a time when I didn't stand up for the National Anthem. But as I grew as a Christian man, I felt like that wasn't the right thing to do for me. There was something that I could do to make it better. So when I saw racial injustice that I perceived, I stood for the National Anthem but I bowed my head and I prayed that God would make us a country that really was the 'land of the free and the home of the brave.' - Tony Dungy , former Indianapolis Colts head coach

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So now, as I'm thinking about the national anthem, and I hear that line, 'for the land of the free,' he wasn't talking about me. He wasn't talking about Randy [Moss]. So when we talk about Colin Kaepernick and the stand that he's taking, he's saying, 'Look, let there be justice for all of us, including me and Randy, including all of you on this set today. So I actually applaud him for having the gall to stand up when he knew what kind of ridicule he was going to get, when most people would not do it, when he knew the backlash he was going to get. - Charles Woodson , former player

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No matter how passionate you are, no matter how much of a burden you have for a social issue, you don't let it get in the way of the team. And the big thing that hit me through all of this was this is a backup quarterback whose job is to be quiet and sit in the shadows and get the starter ready to play Week 1. Yet, he chose a time when he became the center of attention. And it has disrupted that organization. It has caused friction and torn the fabric of the team. - Trent Dilfer , former player

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I understand we're going through things as a country right now, but there's just ways to do it. Me personally, I think when you do things, you have to do it in a unit. That's my opinion on it and we're ready to play football. We'll be standing today for the national anthem today as a team. - Adam Jones , Cincinnati Bengals cornerback

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There's no question [Marcus Peters] respects whatever law enforcement, military, you don't ever question that with this guy. He just wants what is right, like we all do. I think that's the important thing. What the players are doing right now is important. Let's just all get along and that would be a beautiful thing. - Andy Reid , Kansas City Chiefs head coach

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Guys have different beliefs, but for the most part, we don't want to bring any individual spotlight on ourselves. Everyone believes in something, but at this point, as a team, we thought it would be better for us just to stand. - Patrick Peterson , Arizona Cardinals cornerback

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We strongly, strongly support the flag in every way we support - and it's almost ridiculous to be saying it - the people who for generations and generations have given it all up so that we can get out here and show off in front of millions of people on television. ... The forum of the NFL and the forum on television is a very significant thing. I'm for it being used in every way we can to support the great, great contributors in our society, and that's people that have supported America, the flag, and there's no reason not to go all out right there. And for anybody to use parts of that visibility to do otherwise is really disappointing.
- Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys owner, Sept. 13, 2016

I always choose to stand and reflect, at a moment like that, on the blessings that I've had. That's how I choose to express how I feel toward the people that have sacrificed for us. I think we live in a wonderful country. It's certainly not perfect. I don't think any country is perfect. It's our responsibility to do the best we can do to change the things we don't like. I think that's part of social responsibility, and everybody is going to do that in their own way. - Tom Brady , New England Patriots quarterback

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There's just a lot of things systematically that have been set up in this country since its inception that really ... put minorities, especially African Americans, at a disadvantage. ... So we want to continue to keep that conversation going, push it to as many people as we can, obviously while also doing our part in bringing forth change. - Malcolm Jenkins , Philadelphia Eagles safety

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It's something that players have the right to do. ... As long as they do it the right way and it doesn't become a distraction for the rest of the team. - Doug Pederson , Philadelphia Eagles head coach

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With what's going on, I'd rather see him take a knee, than stand up, put his hands up and get murdered, so, my take on it is, shit's gotta start somewhere, and if that was the starting point, I just hope people open up their eyes and see there's really a problem going on and something needs to be done for it to stop and if you're really not racist, then you won't see what he's doing as a threat to America, but just addressing a problem we have.
- Marshawn Lynch, Oakland Raiders running back, Sept. 20, 2016

I support @Kaepernick7 for bringing awareness for injustice !!!! As Americans we all have rights! Im hoping we all come together#solution ... All lives matter. So much going on in this world today.Can we all just get along! Colin,I respect your stance but don't disrespect the Flag. - Jerry Rice , Pro Football Hall of Famer

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It's time to find solutions. People aren't crying wolf - this is our reality. People feel their lives are worth less than those who aren't of color. - Michael Thomas , Miami Dolphins safety

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The reason these guys are kneeling, the reason we're locking arms, is to bring people together to make people aware that this is not right. It's not right for people to get killed in the street. When a guy takes a knee, you can ignore it, you can say he's not being patriotic, he's not honoring the flag. I'm doing none of those things. I'm saying it straight up: this is wrong, and we need to do something. - Richard Sherman , Seattle Seahawks cornerback

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I felt the need to do it. I felt like I've been silent long enough. It's a bigger problem out there in the communities, in our society, things like the type of situations [where] people losing their lives, families like that. Little kids going home and not having their parents no more because of crazy things going on; so as far as the response, whatever the response is, that's what it is, but I felt that it was time for me to make a stance and speak up on it. - DeSean Jackson , Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver (formerly of the Washington Redskins)

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Going forward, I will be standing for the National Anthem-not because everything is perfect, or because I'm changing my stance on things. But because of my hope for what we can become. Just because I am standing doesn't mean the work will end. There's much work to be done.
- Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos linebacker, Nov. 6, 2016

I do think the right thing is for all the players and coaches on the sideline to stand during the national anthem and pay the respect that our flag and the people who have given their life for it deserve. At the same time, I understand we have players who are concerned about racial relations in this country, which is a very important subject. I just don't believe that the national anthem is really the right place to voice your displeasure with that. - Clark Hunt , Kansas City Chiefs chairman

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The men and women who serve this country, I'm forever indebted to them. But the things that's been going on in America lately, I'm not going to stand for that. - Mike Evans , Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver

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If I had to do it over again, I would have done it differently, but I would still use my platform to help. - Mike Evans , Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver

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The NFL was known for its patriotism and for character. It's now the brand today, it's turned to where they put up with anti-Americanism and thuggery. - Burgess Owens , former player

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Nonviolent protesting is something that we have all embraced. I don't like the way he did it. Personally, I kind of liked it a lot when he went from sitting to kneeling [as his protest]. I don't know, I'm Catholic, we spend a lot of time kneeling. - Steve Bisciotti , Baltimore Ravens owner

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The football field is our sanctuary. If you do nothing else, young man, get back on the football field and let your play speak for itself. And what you do off the field, don't let too many people know, because they gonna judge you anyway, no matter what you do, no matter if it's good or bad. - Ray Lewis , former Baltimore Ravens player

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I think the best way I can say this is: I don't understand what it's like to be in that situation. What it is to be pulled over, or profiled, or any number of issues that have happened, that Colin was referencing - or any of my teammates have talked to me about. ... But I know it's a real thing my black teammates have to deal with. - Aaron Rodgers , Green Bay Packers quarterback

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I love hot dogs, like any other American. I love football like any other American. But I don't love segregation. I don't love riots. I don't love oppression. I don't love gender slander. And I just want to see people have equality that they deserve.
- Michael Bennett, Seattle Seahawks defensive end, Aug. 13, 2017

It's more of marketing, it's not really in their heart that they really want to do that. But once again, I think it's a selfish reason I really do. ... I think, go out and play football and do what you're supposed to do and not worry about the worldly things that's going on. - Jermichael Finley , former player

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I've got a lot of respect for what the national anthem represents for our country but everybody has their own reasons or certain beliefs. I think you want to be respectful and mindful of that but I think we want to allow guys to express themselves in whatever way they see fit. - Sean McVay , Los Angeles Rams head coach

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I think everybody has a right to [protest], and I get it, but the national anthem means a lot to myself personally, the organization and our football team. I hope - and again I can't speak, I haven't really talked to our team about it - I would hope that we don't have those issues. - Hue Jackson , Cleveland Browns head coach

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The national anthem is a special moment to me. It's a point of pride. That is a really important moment. But we also have to understand the other side, that people do have rights and we have to respect those. - Roger Goodell , NFL commissioner

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I support [brother Michael Bennett], I support his movement, I support Colin Kaepernick, I support all the guys ... all the people that came before us to pave the way for what we're trying to do in the black community. - Martellus Bennett , Green Bay Packers tight end

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The overwhelming and most profound message is that we claim to have equality and liberty for all people. And some people feel that's not the case. So maybe we should listen to them. Maybe we should listen to what their thoughts are and see if we can't be better. - Doug Baldwin , Seattle Seahawks wide receiver

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I was brought up to respect the flag, respect the veterans. They're giving up their life for this flag. I think the whole country needs a dose of, hey, let's be proud of our country. Let's stand behind our president. Let's do things. Do we have other issues? Absolutely we do. Now's not the time to do that. - Rob Ryan , former NFL assistant coach

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There's no question in my mind the National Anthem is sacred, the flag is sacred and our team has demonstrated that. - Jason Garrett , Dallas Cowboys head coach

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We want to have a collection of individuals that come together as a team to play football. We don't need everybody in the organization to think the same way I think, or have the same feelings that I have about different topics. - Jack del Rio , Oakland Raiders head coach

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I feel like it's my duty as an athlete with my platform to do anything I can to help people in need against police brutality in the black and brown communities. - Cameron Jefferson , Buffalo BIlls offensive lineman

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I feel like America is in a bad place right now, with all the racial tension. We have to be better than our ancestors were. It's 2017, and we're still struggling with issues we had in the 1930s. - Wesley Woodyard , Tennessee Titans linebacker

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It's going to affect your job, your endorsements and your money. Someone like me, going into my fourth year, I'm trying to get paid, too. A lot of teams will look down at that and say, 'He's a Colin Kaepernick.' ... We're going to keep standing up for what's right on our side. And if they can't see the injustice, then that's where the divide is going to be. - DaQuan Jones , Tennessee Titans defensive end

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Did protesting really change much last year? I don't really think so. We gotta find a better way. Protesting on a Sunday doesn't do itself justice because we did that last year and there was only more uproar, without much change.
- Jurrell Casey, Tennessee Titans defensive lineman, Aug. 17, 2017

I think this game brings people together. So I think personally when I see [anthem protests], I think that's divisive. And I understand guys see things and they're not happy. They have that right. And I think we'll always respect people's rights. That doesn't mean I believe that. I believe this game should be celebrated for what it is. I think [it's] a tremendous unifier for our country and for the way things should be. - John Lynch , San Francisco 49ers general manager

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This is a free country, in my opinion, and free people can do what they like. - Ted Thompson , Green Bay Packers general manager

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This is what I tell our players, you live in a society, all right. You can't avoid everything that's happening in the world. Be informed. If you make a decision be willing to stand by it. Speak for yourself, you don't speak for the entire football team. - Lovie Smith , former Chicago Bears head coach

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I know there are guys who want to take a knee or stand up as well, but a lot of people come to this league from nothing. Job security is everything. It's not a secret that guys who protest on teams might be gone. - Rishard Matthews , Tennessee Titans wide receiver

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Brandon [Marshall] made a point last year, but he carried it forward. He just didn't make a stand on the field before the games, he actually went out in the community and did something and talked to different people. He went and talked to law enforcement and got involved in the community. I was proud of Brandon in not only did he show his support for what it was last year, but also he went out and did something in the community. - John Elway , Denver Broncos general manager and former Broncos quarterback

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It's their individual right. We don't have a rulebook on what's right to protest and not protest. You don't know those things until the course of time. Whether it's sitting for the anthem, whether it's raising your fist, whether it's speaking out, whether it's a walk to Washington, who's to say whose protest is good or bad, you know? - Todd Bowles , New York Jets head coach

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I think the national anthem in my thought is for the fallen soldiers, so I just want to represent them the right way. I really can't speak on them, they have a certain cause and purpose on why they're doing that, but in this locker room, you won't see that happening. - Delanie Walker , Tennessee Titans tight end

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I have no reaction. You know, a lot of people have personal opinions, and it's just that - it's personal opinions. If I don't think mine adds any value to the discussion, I will keep it to myself and not add it to the fray. - Mike Tomlin , Pittsburgh Steelers head coach

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There are some people who say they don't want politics in sports. I don't remember a time when fighting white supremacy was a political issue, but evidently it is for a couple people in this country, and that's unfortunate. - Chris Long , Philadelphia Eagles defensive end

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Whether it's good or bad in some eyes, I feel like I'm just supporting my teammate, supporting why he's doing it and his reasons, and trying to encourage others. ... I'm not against what the flag means and veterans. My dad was in the Army. So I'm not putting any disrespect to them. I'm just trying to understand the issues, trying to educate myself more in that regard and showing support. - Justin Britt , Seattle Seahawks center

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I think the key word here is respect. We respect [tackle Cam Jefferson's] opinion. We respect and acknowledge what's going on. When a player or anyone in this case takes an initiative to make a stand for something, if it's ethical, I want them to know that I'm going to support them and we're going to support them. - Sean McDermott , Buffalo BIlls head coach

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There's a lot of racial and social injustices in the world that are going on right now. We just decided to take a knee and pray for the people who have been affected and just pray for the world in general. - Jabrill Peppers , Cleveland Browns safety

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We wanted to draw attention to the fact that there's things in this country that still need to change, and I myself will be raising children that don't look like me [wife is African American], and I want to do my part as well, to do everything I can to raise them in a better environment than we have right now.
- Seth DeValve, Cleveland Browns tight end, Aug. 21, 2017

We respect our players; we respect the flag. Those guys came to me and talked to me about it before they ever made a decision to do it. - Hue Jackson , Cleveland Browns head coach

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My personal view is, I'll be standing on the 50-yard line with my hand over my heart. That's what I believe in. We've got plenty of guys who believe in that but we're not all the same. We're not all the same. We don't all come from the same place. We don't all have the same background. We have to respect every man's opinion. - Dirk Koetter , Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach

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I respect the fact that they have the freedom to protest. Right now, I'm focused on football. It hasn't been a problem for our football team. Moving forward, if it comes up, we'll discuss it. But right now, it hasn't come up. - Vance Joseph , Denver Broncos head coach and former player

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I'm not criticizing nobody. They're free to do whatever they want. Hell no I'm not doing none of that. Their beliefs are their beliefs, and I'm not saying that it's wrong - because they're feeling a certain way. - Dez Bryant , Dallas Cowboys wide receiver

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These are thoughtful guys. ... They don't want something bad, they want something better for America. So I don't look at them in any sort of negative way. I appreciate the teams that try to do everything together, link arms, or do whatever the case may be. But this is difficult on everybody, because the minute you open your mouth about this thing [anthem protests], something you said can be taken the wrong way. All of a sudden you can be in the national news. And I firmly believe that people watch football games because they're ready for a break from all the politics. Now all the politics are inside the NFL game. - Cris Collinsworth , former player and current analyst

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I don't desecrate my flag and my national anthem. I'm not going to do anything against the flag and national anthem. I'm going to work within those situations. But this is my country, and I'll work out the problems, but I'll do it in an intelligent manner. - Jim Brown , former Cleveland Browns player and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

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I feel I needed to regain control of that narrative and not let people say that what we're doing is un-American, because it's not. It's completely American. We're doing it because we want equality for everybody. We want our country to be a better place. So that's why I decided to resume the protest.
- Eric Reid, San Francisco 49ers safety, Aug. 27, 2017

We talked about protests to do things and protests to do that and what we kind of did before the game of everybody coming together is the point we're trying to make is equality for everyone. Everyone being it together, pointing to the issues and saying, 'if we work together, we can fix those things.' - Jason McCourty , Cleveland Browns cornerback

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Let them be malcontents. Let them do their thing. They'll move on, nobody will think about it, nobody will remember who they were, the fact they didn't stand for the national anthem. - Mike Ditka , former Chicago Bears head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer

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Why aren't more players speaking up or protesting? Do you not believe there's a problem? Do you not believe you can create change? ... Are you worried about sponsors or your contract? Do you not care? ... How can we expect the league to care about something we're not showing we care about? - Kenny Stills , Miami Dolphins wide receiver

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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, out. He's fired. He's fired!'
- President Trump, at a campaign rally in Huntsville, Ala., Sept. 22, 2017

Does anyone tell trump to stick to politics, like they tell us to stick to sports? Smh. - Eric Ebron , Lions tight end

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I'm a full supporter of the Flag & This country! Trust Me! But this can't be real! - Rishard Matthews , Tennessee Titans wide receiver

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Cloth has more value than people. apparently. - Arian Foster , former player

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It's a shame and disgrace when you have the President of the US calling citizens of the country sons of a bitches. - Bishop Sankey , Vikings running back

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Continue to use your voices and your platforms for racial equality and to stop injustices in our communities. This is bigger than us!!! - Michael Thomas , New Orleans Saints wide receiver.

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When will people learn that fear won't make someone sit down. It quite possibly will make more stand up for what they believe in. - Chris Conley , Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver

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The NFL and our players are at our best when we help create a sense of unity in our country and our culture. There is no better example than the amazing response from our clubs and players to the terrible natural disasters we've experienced over the last month. Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in our communities. - Roger Goodell , NFL commissioner

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[The NFL Players Association] will never back down when it comes to protecting the constitutional rights of our players as citizens as well as their safety as men who compete in a game that exposes them to great risks. - DeMaurice Smith , NFLPA executive director

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The behavior of the President is unacceptable and needs to be addressed. If you do not Condemn this divisive Rhetoric you are Condoning it!! - Richard Sherman , Seattle Seahawks cornerback

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The constitution guarantees our right to individual opinions. The flag, the national anthem represent and celebrate that freedom. We do not live in a country run by a totalitarian government where peacefully sharing opinions WILL get one fired or thrown in jail. We need to celebrate and protect that freedom. If our president doesn't understand this most important truth, it's even more important that we do. - Connor Barwin , Los Angeles Rams linebacker

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Comments like we heard last night from the president are inappropriate, offensive and divisive. We are proud of our players, the vast majority of whom use their NFL platform to make a positive difference in our society.
- John Mara and Steve Tisch, New York Giants co-owners, Sept. 23, 2017

I'm ok with being fired for what I believe in. The idea of [President Trump] thinking that suggesting firing me from football confirms that he thinks that it's all I can do as a Black man. - Martellus Bennett , Green Bay Packers tight end

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Our country needs unifying leadership right now, not more divisiveness. We need to seek to understand each other and have civil discourse instead of condemnation and sound bites. I know our players who kneeled for the anthem and these are smart young men of character who want to make our world a better place for everyone. They wanted to start a conversation and are making a difference in our community, including working with law enforcement to bring people together. - Stephen Ross , Miami Dolphins owner

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The callous and offensive comments made by the president are contradictory to what this great country stands for. Our players have exercised their rights as United States citizens in order to spark conversation and action to address social injustice. We will continue to support them in their peaceful pursuit of positive change in our country and around the world. - Jed York , San Francisco 49ers owner

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I do believe this will be a unifying moment for the sports world. And with as much influence as athletes have on the younger generation, this can be an opportunity for us to change the narrative of society and point to the president as a poor example of what you can become if you remain close minded, ignorant and uneducated. - Doug Baldwin , Seattle Seahawks wide receiver

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It's amazing that the most divisive person in this entire country is the President of the United States...he says whatever he wants. Patriotism goes beyond a flag and an anthem - Torrey Smith , Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver

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The NFL has historically been a strong catalyst for positive change and I'm proud of the way our players, coaches and staff use that platform to give back to our community and strive to be good citizens making a positive impact on this and future generations. - Arthur Blank , Atlanta Falcons owner

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I wholeheartedly agree with the commissioner's statement. The NFL and its players, more than anything, have been a force for good. What our country needs right now is a message of unity, civility and mutual respect. - Dean Spanos , Los Angeles Chargers owner

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I am proud to stand with our players and support them in their work on and off the football field. I completely agree with Commissioner Goodell that we are better off as a nation when we are unified and pulling together. I have seen that kind of attitude first-hand in Tennessee and across our country in the many benevolent and public-spirited efforts of our NFL players, often without any public recognition. - Amy Adams Strunk , Tennessee Titans owner

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It's unfortunate that the President decided to use his immense platform to make divisive and offensive statements about our players and the NFL. We strongly believe that players are leaders in our communities and positive influences. They have achieved their positions through tremendous work and dedication and should be celebrated for their success and positive impact. We believe it is important to support any of our players who choose to peacefully express themselves with the hope of change for good. As Americans, we are fortunate to be able to speak openly and freely. - Mark Murphy , Green Bay Packers chairman

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The best of us lend our compassion and determination to the aid of others. Every day I see the genuine dedication and hard work of our players. And I support them as they take their courage, character and commitment into our communities to make them better or to call attention to injustice. Having spoken with our players, I can attest to the great respect they have for the national anthem and all it represents. We at the Philadelphia Eagles firmly believe that in this difficult time of division and conflict, it is more important than ever for football to be a great unifier. - Jeffrey Lurie , Philadelphia Eagles chairman

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Our players have shown a tremendous commitment to raising awareness for important societal issues by using their platform in a positive way. ... As an organization, we could not be more proud, appreciative and grateful for our players. We'll continue to support them and work together to advocate for values of respect, diversity and inclusion. - Joe Ellis , Denver Broncos president

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Our players have the freedom to express themselves in a respectful and thoughtful manner and we all agreed that our sole message is to provide and to promote an environment that is focused on love and equality. - Terry and Kim Pegula , Buffalo Bills owners

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We fully support our players' use of their freedom of speech and peaceful action to highlight the existing racial and other divides in our country. Our players completely respect the military and veterans of our country; however, they believe these issues need to come to the forefront. - Peter McLoughlin , Seattle Seahawks president

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I am troubled by the President's recent comments about our league and our players. Sports in America have the unique ability to bring people from all walks of life and from different points of view together to work toward or root for a common goal, and the Indianapolis Colts are proud to be a part of that tradition in our home city and state. - Jim Irsay , Indianapolis Colts owner

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There is no greater unifier in this country than sports and, unfortunately, nothing more divisive than politics. I think our political leaders could learn a lot from the lessons of teamwork and the importance of working together toward a common goal. Our players are intelligent, thoughtful and care deeply about our community and I support their right to peacefully affect social change and raise awareness in a manner that they feel is most impactful.
- Robert Kraft, New England Patriots owner, Sept. 24, 2017

We're not going to play politics. We're football players, we're football coaches. We're not participating in the anthem today. Not to be disrespectful to the anthem, but to remove ourselves from this circumstance. People shouldn't have to choose. If a guy wants to go about his normal business and participate in the anthem, he shouldn't have to be forced to choose sides. If a guy feels the need to do something, he shouldn't be separated from his teammate who chooses not to. So we're not participating today. - Mike Tomlin , Pittsburgh Steelers head coach

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When it comes to speech, they're entitled to speak, we're entitled to listen, we're entitled to disagree or agree, for that matter. But we're not entitled to shut anybody's speech down. Sometimes you don't like what you hear; well, that's true of life in lots of contexts. But you can't shut people down and you can't be disgraceful when you're doing it. - Paul Tagliabue , former NFL commissioner

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I'm not sure if our president understands those rights, that every American has the right to speak out and also to protest - Terry Bradshaw , analyst and current player

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What makes this the greatest country in the world are the liberties it was founded upon and the freedom to express oneself in a respectful and peaceful manner. Through important dialogue with our players and team, this divisive political situation has unified our franchise for the present and the future. - George H. McCaskey , Chicago Bears chairman

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It was a privilege to stand on the sidelines with the Jacksonville Jaguars today for the playing of the U.S. national anthem at Wembley Stadium. I met with our team captains prior to the game to express my support for them, all NFL players and the league following the divisive and contentious remarks made by President Trump, and was honored to be arm in arm with them, their teammates and our coaches during our anthem. Our team and the National Football League reflects our nation, with diversity coming in many forms - race, faith, our views and our goals. We have a lot of work to do, and we can do it, but the comments by the President make it harder. That's why it was important for us, and personally for me, to show the world that even if we may differ at times, we can and should be united in the effort to become better as people and a nation. - Shad Khan , Jacksonville Jaguars owner

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Our game has long provided a powerful platform for dialogue and positive change in many communities throughout our nation. Thanks primarily to our players, the NFL also has been a unifying force in our country and impactful change has and hopefully will continue to be the result of peaceful expression, done so in order to highlight social injustices of all kind. Negative and disrespectful comments suggesting otherwise are contrary to the founding principles of our country, and we do not support those countries or opinions. - Martha Firestone Ford , Detroit Lions owner

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It's America and you are free to speak your mind. I just feel it's disrespectful to the ones who sacrificed their lives and it's maybe the wrong platform. But like I said to each their own it's AMERICA! The greatest country in the world and you reside here, then why do you stay. A lot worse places in the world to call home. Proud to be an American. - Derek Wolfe , Denver Broncos defensive end

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Our players, just like so many others across our league, have been honest and thoughtful with their attempt to bring awareness to the issues of inequality and social injustice. We were incredibly moved by the meaningful and powerful dialogue they initiated within our organization when they spoke of their intent to unify and not be disrespectful while using familiar and important terms like one nation, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. ... We must not let misguided, uninformed and divisive comments from the President of anyone else deter us from our efforts to unify. Our stance in support of the liberties of peaceful, personal expression afforded to our players and all Americans will remain strong, and we will continue to encourage our players to respectfully use their earned platform to inspire positive change in our nation and throughout society. - Dee and Jimmy Haslam , Cleveland Browns owners

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I can no longer ask our team to not say something while they are in a Raider uniform. The only thing I can ask them to do is do it with class. Do it with pride. Not only do we have to tell people there is something wrong, we have to come up with answers. That's the challenge in front of us as Americans and human beings. - Mark Davis , Oakland Raiders owner

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As we have stated previously, the Buccaneers recognize every individual's constitutional right to freedom of speech, which is crucial to the American way of life that we cherish. We are equally committed to the principles of inclusivity and respect for differing points of view that should be afforded to all Americans. - Joel Glazer , Tampa Bay Buccaneers co-chairman

Credits

Compiled by Bryan Flaherty. Design and development by Virginia Singarayar. Photo by Scott Cunningham / Getty Images

Originally published Sept. 20, 2017.

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From Kaepernick sitting to Trump's fiery comments: NFL's anthem protests have spurred discussion

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I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.