All Eyes On NFL; Players Defy Trump, Protest At Sunday Games

Less than 48 hours after President Trump said NFL players who practice their First Amendment rights on the football field by kneeling during the national anthem should be fired, players at the league's games on Sunday protested in far larger numbers than usual with some taking a knee during the anthem, others locking arms and some teams stayed in the locker room as the Star Spangled Banner played.

At the league's first game in London, where the Baltimore Ravens were playing the Jacksonville Jaguars, a couple dozen players took a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Jacksonville's owner, Shahid Khan, stood in a line shoulder-to-shoulder with his players, all of their arms interlocked in solidarity. Ravens coach John Harbaugh did the same.

"We recognize our players' influence. We respect their demonstration and support them 100 percent. All voices need to be heard. That's democracy in its highest form," Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in a statement.

The NFL protests throughout Sunday's games come after the president's comments that started on Friday night and only intensified from there.

The Pittsburgh Steelers skipped the national anthem altogether, remaining in their locker room for a private ceremony related to the flag. The entirety of the team, with the exception of Alejandro Villanueva who served in the Army, remained inside before the start of the game.

"You know these are very divisive times for our country," Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin told CBS. "And you know for us as a football field, it's about us remaining solid. We're not gonna be divided by anything said by anyone."

At a later game, the Tennessee Titans and the Seattle Seahawks both remained inside the locker room for the national anthem.

Among the teams that protested Sunday were reigning Super Bowl champs New England Patriots. Well over a dozen players took a knee during the national anthem before the start of their game against the Houston Texas at Gillette Stadium. Tom Brady was among those standing, hand over heart, arms interlocked with other players. Coach Bill Belichick was standing.

Team owners have largely stood in support of the NFL players, issuing statements affirming that the league stands united.

Dee and Jimmy Haslam, owners of the Cleveland Browns, issued a statement saying "misguided, uninformed and divisive" comments from the president must not deter efforts for unity. New York Jets Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson issued a statement saying it was "an honor and a privilege" to stand arm-in-arm unified with players during the National Anthem.

At the Detroit Lions-Atlanta Falcons game, singer Rico Lavelle ended singing the national anthem by kneeling and raising a fist in the air.

Last week across the entire NFL, only four players knelt or sat, and two stood with their fists raised. Associated Press reporters and photographers counted the players kneeling or sitting at every NFL game Sunday. With one more game to go Monday night, already more than 200 players chose to protest. A handful of others raised their fists. The league has 1,696 players on active rosters.

"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag to say get that son of a b***h off the field right now, out, he's fired," Trump said to the crowd at a rally in Huntsville, Alabama on Friday. "He's fired!

The president then solidified his condemnation for those practicing their First Amendment rights on his favorite medium.

"If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect...." the president said in the first of a two part tweet. "our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something else to do!" the second tweet said.

Trump again tweeted about the protests on Sunday, suggesting a boycott of the NFL, saying that if fans were to stop attending the games players would stop kneeling. On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin appeared on ABC News saying NFL players could have their First Amendment rights "off the field."

As the president's attacks grew, so did the backlash. Pro athletes voiced their opposition to Trump as did NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, although his statement was not as forceful as the words used by others.

Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, posted a photo to Instagram Sunday affirming his support for players who kneel.

"#unity #brotherhood #family #dedication #love," Rodgers captioned the photo.

Many noted that Brady, arguably the NFL's most visible player who doesn't usually take part in heated political debates, also showed his support by commenting on Rodgers' photo with an emoji of a flexed arm.

LeBron James, another esteemed athlete, referred to the president as a "bum."

"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!" James tweeted.

James' rebuke was in response to Trump "rescinding" an invitation to the Golden State Warriors for a visit to the White House saying Steph Curry was hesitating about whether he would attend. Curry, however, was not hesitating as the president claims and had clearly said he did not want to visit the White House.

James spoke out in greater length in a video saying Trump was trying to use sports, something that ordinarily unites people, to divide the country and that was not something he could stand for.

And on Sunday, the hashtag #TakeTheKnee was the top trending hashtag on Twitter as ordinary citizens, athletes and public figures all united to support those who choose to protest on the football field.

The protests began last year when Colin Kaepernick — who then played for the San Francisco 49ers — began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. Many players then followed with their own protests. Kaepernick remains unsigned since he left the 49ers.

Photo by Matt Dunham/Associated Press