When President Trump said, “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!'” on Friday in Alabama, I’m sure most of us were thinking (perhaps minus the language), that’s an obvious “YES” answer!
But the NFL players didn’t quite see it that way. Trump’s words were twisted so they saw it as an attack on the league as a whole and black players specifically. Or they were offended for their mothers. Or they didn’t like Trump. Whatever it was, it made the NFL implode in just one quick Sunday.
Experience The Political Insider without ads
Sunday, September 24, 2017’s NFL gameday started across the pond in London (why the NFL plays several games in London, I will never understand, that’s a whole ‘nother reason the league is dying), where a large segment of Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguar players disrespected the National Anthem on foreign soil by kneeling when it was played. They stood when “God Save the Queen” came on, natch.
The day only got worse from there stateside. All told, by the end of the night, probably about 300 players refused to honor America by standing for our National Anthem.
What happened? Who did and who didn’t? We’ve got the definitive list of which teams and players stood, sat, or didn’t show up at all during Week 3 of the NFL season. Check it out:
Experience The Political Insider without ads
Linked Arms and Stood
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Houston Texans
Minnesota Vikings
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Players Kneeled/Sat
2 Atlanta Falcons
3 New York Giants
3 Green Bay Packers
5 Miami Dolphins
7 Washington Redskins
8 Detroit Lions
≥9 Indianapolis Colts
10 New Orleans Saints*
≥11 Buffalo Bills*
≥13 Baltimore Ravens
≥14 Jacksonville Jaguars
17 New England Patriots
21 Cleveland Browns
32 Denver Broncos
<50 Oakland Raiders
Players Stayed in Locker room
52 Pittsburgh Steelers*
53 Tennessee Titans
53 Seattle Seahawks
Atlanta Falcons: (2) Grady Jarrett and Dontari Poe
New York Giants: (3) Olivier Vernon, Landon Collins and Damon Harrison
Support Conservative Voices!
Sign up to receive the latest political news, insight, and commentary delivered directly to your inbox.
Green Bay Packers: (3) Martellus Bennett, Lance Kendricks and Kevin King
Miami Dolphins: (5) Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry, Maurice Smith, Laremy Tunsil and Julius Thomas
Washington Redskins: (7) Jamison Crowder, Josh Doctson, Brian Quick, Niles Paul, Chris Carter, Ryan Anderson, and Jordan Reed.
Detroit Lions: (8) Ameer Abdullah, Tahir Whitehead, A’Shawn Robinson, Cornelius Washington, Akeem Spence, Jeremiah Ledbetter, Steve Longa and Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
Experience The Political Insider without ads
Oh, and the National Anthem singer:
The national anthem in Detroit ended on one knee pic.twitter.com/7Fi3wSjHSb
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) September 24, 2017
Indianapolis Colts: (≥9) Including Darius Butler, Malik Hooker, Matt Hazel, Kamar Aiken, Marlon Mack, Al Woods and Rashaan Melvin.
Experience The Political Insider without ads
Colts fans booed their home team and visiting Browns who kneeled.
New Orleans Saints: (10) Rafael Bush, Kenny Vaccaro, Chris Banjo, Sheldon Rankins, Alex Okafor, Cameron Jordan, Adrian Peterson, Alvin Kamara, Brandon Coleman and Mark Ingram. Terron Armstead stayed in the locker room in protest.
*There was a bigger uproar here because the players sat on the bench instead of kneeling. Bars have already started boycotting and people burning their paraphernalia.
Buffalo Bills: (≥11) including Marcell Dareus, Shaq Lawson, Ryan Davis, Lorenzo Alexander, Jordan Matthews, Shareece Wright, Mike Tolbert, Charles Clay, Leonard Johnson, Cedric Thornton and Kaelin Clay.
Experience The Political Insider without ads
*Somehow Buffalo Bills Running Back LeSean McCoy managed to make the protest worse. Instead of quietly kneeling to make a point like the others, he ignored the Anthem completely and kept warming up.
LeSean McCoy stretches during the national anthem. Video courtesy @JennaCottrell @WKBW @13WHAM #Bills pic.twitter.com/2tT4NmdoD8
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) September 24, 2017
McCoy ripped Kaepernick a few weeks back for not being good enough. Apparently he thinks his own value to the team outweighs the huge distraction he’s become a part of.
Experience The Political Insider without ads
Experience The Political Insider without ads
Baltimore Ravens: (≥13) Mike Wallace, Terrell Suggs, Matthew Judon, Za’Darius Smith, Tyus Bowser, Tim Williams, C.J. Mosley, Carl Davis, Anthony Levine, Lardarius Webb, Marlon Humphrey, Tony Jefferson and Willie Henry. Former Ravens great Ray Lewis was also there and knelt with the players.
This was the first protest of the day which took place in London. When I watched the video of the scene it was the first time the Anthem has ever made me want to cry from something other than love and pride of country.
— AlexaShrugged (@AlexaShrugged) September 24, 2017
Experience The Political Insider without ads
Jacksonville Jaguars: (≥14) including Calais Campbell, Jalen Ramsey, Malik Jackson, Tashaun Gipson, A.J. Bouye, Dante Fowler, Dawuane Smoot, Eli Ankou, Abry Jones, Sheldon Day, Myles Jack, Leonard Fournette, Tyler Patmon and Yannick Ngakoue.
New England Patriots: (17) James White, Stephon Gilmore, Brandin Cooks, Lawrence Guy, Alan Branch, Malcom Brown, Malcolm Butler, Brandon Bolden, Devin McCourty, Trey Flowers, Deatrich Wise, Jonathan Jones, Elandon Roberts, Duron Harmon, Adam Butler, Jordan Richards, and Johnson Bademosi.
While the opposing Houston Texans all stood with linked arms, the home team was soundly booed by the crowd for the players who knelt.
One of the players who took a knee said, “We were all obviously conflicted. We knew our message would be perceived by a lot of people in a way that wasn’t what we were trying to put out.” Which begs the obvious question, why do it at all if you knew your message wasn’t getting out in the right way and would upset people?!
Cleveland Browns: (21) including: Isaiah Crowell, Jason McCourty, Jamar Taylor, Larry Ogunjobi, Ibraheim Campbell, Randall Telfer, James Burgess, Jabrill Peppers, Kenny Britt and Myles Garrett.
Back in the pre-season some Browns players started kneeling during the Anthem, but former Browns Hall of Famer Jim Brown quickly set them straight. I’m not sure Brown will be enough this time around.
Denver Broncos: (32) including stars Brandon Marshall, Jamaal Charles, Demaryius Thomas and Von Miller.
Wide Receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who claimed to have defended Trump in the past and ran out onto the field with the American flag at the home opener, typified how clueless these players really are:
“We decided to take a knee. It didn’t have anything to do with what the flag meant to me, it had absolutely nothing to do with that,” the wide receiver said after the game. “It’s the fact that our president is sitting up there saying words that he shouldn’t be using and calling guys words that he shouldn’t be using because you’re the leader of the United States, that’s just not right. I decided to take a knee on that … He shouldn’t be treating guys like that if you’re standing up for a cause that they believe in.”
It’s pretty easy, if “it didn’t have anything to do with what the flag meant to me” you then find something else and don’t protest the National Anthem and flag!
Oakland Raiders: (<50) So many Raiders sat on the bench during the National Anthem (the AP estimated about 50 players) that it’s easier to tell you the names of some of the players who stood: Derek Carr, Cory James, Nicholas Morrow and Jon Condo.
Apparently the Raiders wanted to stay in the locker room for the Anthem but the timing of the national Sunday night game meant they wouldn’t get to the field in time for the coin toss and would have been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. I’m half surprised they didn’t just do that – they’re already sabotaging themselves anyway with these antics.
Pittsburgh Steelers: (52) *When the rest of the team elected to skip out on the National Anthem and hide in the locker room, one hero had the courage to stand up. Alejandro Villanueva, a veteran Army Ranger who served 3 tours in Afghanistan, stepped out of the tunnel with his hand over his heart for the Star-Spangled Banner.
It was a powerful moment in an otherwise dreary day that was much appreciated. The offensive lineman’s jersey shot up to be the 6th most popular on Fanatics.com within hours.
The entire Pittsburgh Steelers team stayed in the locker room for national anthem except for Villanueva who served 3 tours in Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/6kvGDls8wQ
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) September 24, 2017
There was a bizarre situation at the Tennessee Titans vs. Seattle Seahawks game. Neither team came out for the National Anthem, but the National Anthem singer took a knee.
Tennessee Titans: (53)
The Titans, who were home, put out a very brief statement, they clearly wanted to wash their hands of the politics of all this:
As a team, we wanted to be unified in our actions today. The players jointly decided this was the best course of action. Our 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.
Seattle Seahawks: (53)
Meanwhile the Seahawks players went all Social Justice Warrior in theirs and made it clear it was entirely political:
As a team, we have decided we will not participate in the national anthem. We will not stand for the injustice that has plagued people of color in this country. Out of love for our country and in honor of the sacrifices made on our behalf, we unite to oppose those that would deny our most basic freedoms. We remain committed in continuing to work towards equality and justice for all.
— Seattle Seahawks (@seahawksPR) September 24, 2017
So, there you have it! Time to let the players, teams, owners, sponsors, and the NFL know what you think of their blatant show of disrespect.
What do you think – are you going to boycott the NFL over the widespread National Anthem protests? Tell us in the comments below!
Read this Next on ThePoliticalInsider.com
New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady Calls President Trump’s National Anthem Remarks “Divisive”
Leave a Comment
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.
Those worthless overpaid jackasses disrespect our veterans, flag, and country, and they can all eat my turds. My dad and uncles all fought for this country in WW2, and they and all vets deserve to be honored. Piss on the stinking National Felon League.
At this point, you can be on the NFL team or the team represented by the Flag and the Anthem.
If you have an agenda you want to sell, pay for it like Pepsi does. That flag and song represent the people, not Trump, the police, or the US government.
Lebron James tried to recant his racist statement when he said today, ” it’s not about disrespecting the flag and military.” Well bubba, I disagree with you. This is not about ones rights to protest and verbally say what you think is wrong, or right, in our nation. I think everyone understands our 1st amendment rights. This is about people, athletes like you, imposing your feelings that are politically driven on an entire nation of people that at least half of the electorate disagree with your narrative. You and your fellow athletes take this nation and the people in it for idiots. When you look into history and read, I re-Emphasize read, about how well we have done in the last 100 years with regards to race relations, I think you will realize that Dr. King knew how to protest. He brought us together, never divided us. The alternative to your wrongful protests is to first realize that there are factions that are tearing us part. As a Veteran, I am disappointed that your generation is choosing to disrespect us, as they did in the past. Will you ever understand who protects your rights of freedom.
The election of President Trumphas revealed so many things, i.e. the hatred of our country by the Liberals, the hatred of our country by Hollywood, the lack of appreciation of our country by athletes and teams that we have loved over the years.,etc.etc.etc. The thing that the voters have sadly learned is that our representatives in Washington, do not care one ioda about us.
One last thought here. These are physically strong young men on these teams. Why not reinstitute the draft and draft every one of them and send them into battle? Why don’t we see what kind of stuff they are made of? Do you suppose most of them could pass an off-season drug test?
I couldn’t agree more, judy. It’s time to bring back the draft to start teaching the next generation what our country really stands for. Obviously, parents aren’t teaching these kids respect of any kind. The military does.
I started writing this while ago, and I said a lot at that time. I really hope that my comments written then will somehow post themselves here. I am so blessed to be an American. I don’t give a flip about race nor about racist comments some have made. I wish the President had not said what he said Saturday night in Huntsville using the words he used. Oh, I’m very glad he said the essence of his comments, just his style and that name which is so widely used now. It is just not anything for anyone to ever say anywhere under any circumstances. He probably sees a need to teach these guys things that their parents should have taught them from the cradle on up until they left home. Apparently they didn’t. I was blessed to have a veteran of both World Wars I and II as a father and a mother whose patriotism had been instilled in her long before she ever met this veteran. You stand erect, face the flag, join in the singing if the anthem is being sung and stand quietly if it is not, and salute the flag from the drum roll through “the home of the brave.” You don’t wriggle, shift your weight between your feet, or lean against anything. As a teacher, I always told my students that our nation does not need weak people who need to lean against their desks (unless, of course, they are physically unable to stand) during the hearing nor the singing. You focus your eyes on the flag and your mind on your thankfulness that you are an American.
My earlier comments seem to have just blipped off into cyber space.
GOD BLESS VILLANUEVA. Curious…did any of the kneelers ever serve this country? They are all lambs following the Judas goat. (look it up).
Most of these morons were the privileged college athletes who couldn’t put pen to paper to pass a basic English exam and were allowed to graduate because they could play football. Who cares about these fidiots? Not me. JUst stop watching. How many liberal democrats own teams?
To the 7 teams that stood, I salute you! To the rest of you NFL players that sat, kneeled or stayed in the locker room you all can go straight to hell! You morons are being paid a ridiculous amount to “play a game” not risk your life like our military, police & firefighters do every day. You just spit in the face of all the true American heroes you spineless crybabies!
I have been a fan of Miami since Shula started after leaving the Colts and I am not happy.
I also wrote a not so nice letter to the NFL & the Seattle Seahawks who USED to be the team I supported. While it likely won’t do any good I am glad I got it off my chest. These spoiled, over-paid morons are lucky to be living in a country that pays them the ridiculous amounts they are paid while other true heroes (veterans, current military, police, firefighters, etc.) are paid little to risk their lives but do it daily. The unpatriotic, anti-American, disgraceful attitudes of these NFL players is appalling & I will NEVER watch another NFL game again! I hope their attendance & ticket sales suffer for this! I told them they can all go straight to hell!
I keep seeing comments that some Vets support this. I suspect many of those comments are left by the low life, PAID FOR trolls.
Any Vet who say they support this, is a disgrace! I have NO respect for them AT ALL. NO doubt they’re liberals who ALSO SUPPORT our military being forced and BURDENED to accept these mentally ill “transgenders” that enlist to get their HUGELY EXPENSIVE OPERATIONS done for free! Oh if you say you don’t have a problem with that…those people never see action! No when they’re “transitioning” they have to NOT exert themselves, not strain themselves, be CAREFUL. So if they’re in for 2 or 4 years they WON’T be doing ANY fighting or defending. So DON’T fall for this “they want to serve their country BS”.
I know POTUS did away with this but the Pentagon….the PENTAGON….is fighting this! Can you BELIEVE the liberal left CRAP Obama put in our government? It’s going to take years to weed them all out.
My wife and i were on holiday in March this year in Vegas and went to a nascar event and we stood for your anthem as it is the right thing to do (we are English) these supposed “sports men” are vile scumbags as can be should be sent back to where their ancestors came from if they have no respect for the USA MAGA.
What about fans who kneel in solidarity?
What about them Scott? They’re just as spineless & anti-American as the other idiots who kneeled or stayed in the locker room.
how about deportation? Or perhaps exile would be a better term. Let them play in Somalia or Venezuela.
I wrote a not-so-nice email to the NFL Players Association – their contact information is easily found on-line – and let them know what I thought of their bratty, childish behavior. While those punks play a child’s game 6 months a year and get rich doing it, we NORMAL people work our butts off, serve our country (as I, my son, my dad, and generations going back to the Revolutionary War have done) and love the United States. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I watch that bunch of spoiled monsters again, and I let them know it. Biting the hand that feeds you is never smart, but who called this pack of brain-dead ghetto thugs smart anyway? Goodbye, NFL! Hope you sink quickly – you deserve it!
This whole thing is good. It will show the self-leveling spirit of the American Patriot once
demonstrated in 1776…and here again. We are in the midst of the major spiritual enlightenment
that will solidify our respect for the sacrifices made by our warriors, both at home and “over
there” (NOT ONE VET IN THE STRING OF “KNUCKLE-HEADED KNUCKLE-DRAGGING KNEELERS”. For once we have a POTUS…a REAL PRESIDENT…WHO ONLY “RESPONDED” WHEN ASKED…NOT “INITIATED”! SEMPER FI…!
The way I see it these ball players are nothing more but attention getters. They could care less about the National Anthem, the Flag, the soldiers who died for this Country and the Freedom for all these ball players. This is a ball game, that’s all, War is no game, it’s reality, the real thing where you put your life on the line day and night for month’s and month’s. All these ball players and many of the American people do not have their priorities in order at all.Countries like North Korea, Iran and Russia are watching this kind of crap and seeing how weak the American People are. They are making FOOLS out of themselves on national tv for the whole damn world to see.
HERE IS MY MESSAGE TO THESE LIBERAL THINKING IDIOTS,,YOU BETTER WAKE UP, YOUR TIME IS COMING TO AN END !!!!!
Right on Johnny
Let the go live in North Korea
Tired of these People tired of Hollywood nuts
Over paid athletes
You’d be surprised how many vets support the players.
Maybe but there’s just as many veterans who don’t support this crap! It’s a slap in the face to them!