NFL players take a knee during anthem and lock arms in defiance at Wembley despite Trump’s Twitter rant
THREE Miami Dolphins players defied President Trump by taking a knee and locking arms during the US national anthem before their NFL clash at Wembley.
The entire New Orleans Saints knelt before the "Star Spangled Banner" before standing with their arms locked during the song as a collective protest against police brutality in America.
British running back Jay Ajayi stood during the anthem while three of his Miami Dolphins teammates - Julius Thomas, Michael Thomas and Kenny Stills - took a knee.
Trump had tweeted that it is “very important” for NFL players to stand during the US national anthem ahead of today's fixtures.
The firebrand President has slammed football players and athletes who kneel during the song in protest against police brutality in America.
The brash billionaire posted: “Very important that NFL players STAND tomorrow, and always, for the playing of our National Anthem."
He added: “Respect our Flag and our Country!”
Later Trump tweeted embedded video of fans and players standing at an NHL game, writing “19,000 RESPECTING our National Anthem!”
Other Twitter users posted that the video Trump put up was nearly a year old.
The symbolic gesture of protest during the anthem was adopted by some African-American players over the last year to protest against racism in the US particularly within the police department.
On Tuesday Trump called on the league to ban players from kneeling in protest at games while the national anthem is played, tweeting “The NFL has all sorts of rules and regulations.
“The only way out for them is to set a rule that you can’t kneel during our National Anthem!”
And on Thursday he continued the crusade, drawing a rebuke from the NFL after he said football team owners are afraid of their players.
The Republican president said that he is friends with many NFL team owners and they were “in a box” over how to handle the kneeling protests of racial disparities in the country.
“They say, ‘We are in a situation where we have to do something.’ I think they’re afraid of their players, you want to know the truth. And I think it’s disgraceful,” he said. Trump did not elaborate.
The NFL rejected the president’s remarks as not factual.
Trump also called on fans, again via Twitter, to boycott football games.
A week ago coaches, support staff and even some owners joined team members in silent support by kneeling, linking arms or staying off the field during the anthem.
The players’ protests go back to last year’s football season, when Colin Kaepernick, a San Francisco 49ers quarterback, protested police treatment of African-Americans by not standing during the anthem.
The protests culminated a week ago when scores of players, following calls by the president to fire protesting athletes, sat or knelt as the anthem was played.
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