During the National Anthem, Kansas City Chiefs Cornerback Marcus Peters raised his right fist in protest in the game against the San Diego Chargers who said after the game, “I’m black, I love being black and I’m supporting Colin as far as what he’s doing as far as raising awareness of (the) justice system.”
Following the game on Sunday, Peters told reporters, “It’s not about attention for me, though. Don’t talk about it – be about it. I come from a majority black community from Oakland, California. I grew up around my people a lot. I got family who’s still in the struggle. All I’m saying is we need to educate the youth. If we keep educating the kids, then we eliminate these problems.”
Tennessee Titans Defensive End Jurrell Casey joined the NFL in 2011.
Wesley Woodyard joined the NFL in 2008.
“People calling me the N-word and a lot of people calling me all kinds of derogatory names,” said the Denver Broncos linebaker who has been in the national football league since 2012. “It is what it is. There’s a lot of hate out there. I’m not here to spread hate or negativity. I’m here to spread positivity.”
Before kick off, the Miami Dolphins organization released a statement regarding any actions their players might take. “We encourage all members of our organization to stand at attention during the national anthem out of respect and appreciation for the freedoms we are afforded as Americans. We also recognize that it’s an individual’s right to reflect during the anthem in different ways. We respect these liberties and appreciate the sacrifices that everyone has made for our country, especially on this day of remembrance. We hope today’s events will continue a respectful and thoughtful dialogue in our community on unity, inclusiveness and togetherness.” Four of the teams athlete’s took a knee during the anthem.
Miami Dolphins running back Arian Foster has been vocal about his feelings regarding why he’s taking action by taking a knee. “They say it’s not the time to do this,” he said during a postgame interview. “When is the time? It’s never the time in somebody else’s eye, because they’ll always feel like it’s good enough. And some people don’t. That’s the beautiful thing about this country. If somebody feels it’s not good enough, they have that right. That’s all we’re doing, exercising that right.”
Michael Thomas is a safety for the Miami Dolphins.
Jelani Jenkins is a Maryland native who joined the NFL in 2013.
“We talked as a team,” Stills said. “And a couple of individuals on the team felt like because of what’s going on in this country, we wanted to make a statement by taking a knee and putting our hands over our chest. We have made our decision and we stand by how we feel.”
Lane decided to follow suit behind Kaepernick in order to stand up for some sort of justice for the Black community.
Eric Reid and Colin Kaepernick were side by side as they took a knee on the sideline during the anthem.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback began the charge to protest the anthem during a preseason game. “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, 28, said in an interview with NFL Media after the preseason game. “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.”
“It’s something that’s been on my mind all week,” said the San Francisco 49ers free safety, who joined the league in 2013. “I believe in what he’s doing. I believe that there are issues in this country — many issues, too many to name. It’s not one particular issue. But there are people out there that feel there are injustices being made and happening in our country on a daily basis. I just wanted to show him I support him. I know there are other people in this country that feel the same way.”
