Week 1: Ten Players Protested During the National Anthem

Ten NFL football players mounted some form of protest during the league’s Week One games, as the 2018 season kicked off Thursday and Sunday.

There were only two players who took a knee during the playing of the national anthem, but eight other players performed some sort of action other than standing in honor of the anthem.

On Thursday’s season openers, no players made any obvious protests, but two players sat down before the anthem finished playing. It is not clear if there was any meaning to the move.

But, Sunday was another matter. As Sunday’s games kicked off, ten Players mounted protests, CNS News reported.

Those protests include:

• Philadelphia Eagles Defensive End Michael Bennett sat on the bench during the anthem.
• Miami Dolphins Receivers Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson took a knee, and Robert Quinn raised his fist.
• San Francisco 49ers Receiver Marquise Goodwin raised a fist.
• Los Angeles Chargers Tackle also Russell Okung raised a fist.
• Denver Broncos Receiver Demaryius Thomas and Linebacker Brandon Marshall refused to take the field during the anthem.
• Seattle Seahawks Linemen Duane Brown and Quinton Jefferson also refused to take the field during the song.

ESPN has decided not to air the anthem for its Monday Night Football broadcast.

Meanwhile, according to insiders, the NFL seems reluctant to implement any new anthem policies for the 2018 season. A report by ESPN noted last week that the NFL has quietly decided to refrain from making any new rules to govern player behavior during the playing of the national anthem.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.