Former American Idol singer Jessica Sanchez took a knee after the final line of the national anthem prior to the Chargers-Raiders game on Sunday.
The moment came when Sanchez finished with the line “and the home of the brave.” She then knelt in the middle of the field.
Strangely, according to Fox 5 in San Diego, the singer’s Facebook page showed the moment when the stadium announced Sanchez as the anthem singer. Yet, it didn’t show her kneeling for the anthem, and then, the video was deleted from her account entirely.
According to the AP, Sanchez says she supports the player protests against racial inequality and police brutality, and Donald Trump.
Sanchez said, “I’m 100 percent for the message, as far as what the message has been behind everybody kneeling. I still show my respect to the veterans, but I do disagree with what’s going on in the office.”
Though, not surprisingly, Sanchez did not give any examples of racial inequality or of racially motivated police brutality.
After the anthem, Sanchez says that Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch told her, “You did your thing girl.”
Lynch has protested the playing of the anthem since the preseason. Chargers tackle Russell Okung also raised a fist during the anthem on Sunday.
It’s not clear how much longer those player protests will last. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo out to the league last week, in which he said that the NFL needed to move past the “anthem controversy,” and that the topic would be discussed at the owner’s meetings this Tuesday.
Goodell wrote, “Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us.”
It’s unclear if the league will address the issue of protesting anthem singers. While that’s unlikely to occur on Tuesday given the incident with Jessica Sanchez, that could become a topic for future conversations.
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