Celebrities and sports stars took to social media over the weekend to urge athletes from around the sporting world to “take a knee” during the National Anthem, after President Donald Trump said Friday that any players who protest in that manner should be fired by their team’s owners.
Celebrities including Jeffrey Wright, John Legend, Evan Rachel Wood, Sarah Silverman, Kumail Nanjiani, Daniel Tosh, and Ed Asner, and sports stars including NBA player Chris Paul and NFL cornerback Richard Sherman all took to their Twitter accounts to weigh in on the NFL protests.
At a rally in Alabama Friday, Trump said NFL team owners should fire those who disrespect the country by kneeling during the National Anthem, a form of protest popularized by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick at the start of the 2016 NFL season.
The president followed up his Friday comments with several posts to his Twitter account early Sunday: “If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast,” he wrote.
But several stars took Trump on directly over the weekend, including HBO’s Westworld star Wright, who tweeted: “Kneel so hard Sunday the earth shakes.”
Ahead of his concert Sunday at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City, R&B legend Stevie Wonder said he was “taking a knee for America,” and two knees in prayer for the world and its leaders.
Other celebrities were quick to weigh in on the controversy:
https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/911631390138961921
Trump’s comments led to speculation that even more NFL players would take a knee during this Sunday’s slate of games in protest of the president, even though Sunday marks Gold Star Mother’s Day, which honors parents with children who have died in service to the United States.
During an early game in London on Sunday, numerous players from both the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars knelt during the National Anthem, including former Raven Ray Lewis.
“We recognize our players’ influence,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in a statement ahead of Sunday’s game. “We respect their demonstration and support them 100 percent. All voices need to be heard. That’s democracy in its highest form.”
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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