On the field, it was hard to tell what all the fuss was about: Two players kneeled while the “The Star-Spangled Banner” played, another two raised their fist, another two stayed in the locker room. One fan at the Browns game was spotted wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey. DENVER—Off the field, President Donald Trump took his digs at the NFL , linking low TV ratings for the season opener to players who refuse to stand for the national anthem. Other than that, there were no signs of players doing anything out of the ordinary on the NFL’s opening Sunday for a pregame ritual that has taken on new meaning since Kaepernick first kneeled during the anthem two years ago to protest police brutality and social injustice. Under the old policy, players had to be at the field for the anthem, but while they were “strongly encouraged” to stand, they were not required to do so.

Source: thestar September 09, 2018 18:33 UTC