National Anthem Singer at Seahawks-Titans Game Kneels; Teams Stay in Locker Room
During the early afternoon NFL games today, the national anthem singer at the Detroit Lions-Atlanta Falcons game kneeled and raised his fist at the end of his performance. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers players decided to stay in the locker room — except one — rather than come out for the anthem prior to their game against the Chicago Bears.
In the late afternoon slate of games, we saw a combination of both actions.
Before the start of the Seattle Seahawks-Tennessee Titans game, both teams’ players decided that they would not come out until after the anthem was played. Seattle released a statement that they would “not stand for the injustice that has plagued people of color in this country.” The Titans, meanwhile, said their “commitment to the military and our community is resolute and the absence of our team for the national anthem shouldn’t be misconstrued as unpatriotic.”
This provided the following surreal image:
No players on the field during the anthem for Titans vs. Seahawks pic.twitter.com/6NEEJA7h1B
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 24, 2017
With no players on either sideline, Megan Lindsey sang the Star Spangled Banner. At the end of her performance, she and the guitar player both took a knee.
It was expected that there would be widespread demonstrations today at NFL games after President Donald Trump spent the last few days going after protesting players and calling for a boycott of the league over athletes kneeling during the anthem as a protest against racial injustice.
Watch the clip above, via Fox Sports.
[image via screengrab]
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