Broncos, Bills Players Kneel During Anthem
BUFFALO, N.Y. (CBS4) - Several Denver Broncos players took a knee during the national anthem before Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills.
Thirty-two members of the Broncos, in total, were counted kneeling, with several more Bills players doing the same, with even more holding a fist in the air or resting a hand on the shoulder of a kneeling teammate or locking arms with others.
Other players throughout the NFL followed suit, while all of the Pittsburgh Steelers decided instead to stay in the locker room during the anthem.
Ahead of their game in London, England on Sunday, players from both the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars knelt.
The kneeling comes in the wake of President Donald Trump saying Friday that all players should be fired for their protests. Trump reiterated his remarks on Twitter on both Saturday and Sunday.
"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 our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED."
Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, on Instagram, said that President Trump was "acting and speaking like a child."
Protesting during the anthem isn't new for the Broncos, but it is on this scale. Last season, linebacker Brandon Marshall took a knee ahead of seven games last season, he says to protest social injustice in America.
He ended his protest in Oakland, "not because everything is perfect, or because I'm changing my stance on things," he posted to Instagram at the time, "but because of my hope for what we can become."
Broncos President of Football Operations and General Manager John Elway said, that "everybody has their right to do what they wish to do, and their beliefs are their beliefs, that's why we live in this country. We'll respect that and whatever you want to do is alright with us."
Elway commented on the issue during a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers last week. Former 49ers player Colin Kaepernick was the first player to take a stand against racial injustice by kneeling during a preseason game last year.
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Since then, Marshall and other players followed suit.
Elway said he's proud of how Marshall handled his demonstration on and off the field.
"Brandon made a point last year, but he carried it forward," Elway said. "He didn't make a stand on the field before the games, he actually went out in the community and did something, and talked to law enforcement, and has gotten involved in the community."