In a series of early-morning tweets on Sunday, President Trump doubled down on his divisive condemnation of NFL players who kneel during the American national anthem. Trump first made the comments at a rally in Alabama last week, saying such behavior should be a firable offense.
If Trump were hoping his rhetoric would scare players into thinking twice about joining a “take a knee” protest during the NFL’s full slate of games today, he’s going to be disappointed. The first game—between the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars—kicked off in London at 9:30 a.m. ET, and several players from both teams knelt during the national anthem. Even the Jaguars’ owner, Shahid Khan—a Trump supporter—took part in the protest. Some said it was the largest “take a knee” protest yet.
27 players and staff knelt before the Jaguars and Ravens game this morning, more inked arms in solidarity. That is the most ever. #TakeAKnee pic.twitter.com/lfm1qJjb8E
— Erin Schrode (@ErinSchrode) September 24, 2017
Expect more protests as the day continues. More than a dozen NFL games are scheduled to take place across the country today, beginning at 1 p.m. when the Cleveland Browns face off against the Indianapolis Colts on CBS. Eight other games are slated for that time slot.
Another round of games starts at 4:05 p.m. ET with the Seattle Seahawks and the Tennessee Titans on Fox, and the day culminates with an Oakland-Washington face-off 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Check out the full NFL schedule here.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
