One of the league’s few remaining anthem protesters has found himself attracting headlines for a protest off the field football.
Texans wide receiver Kenny Stills was arrested and is facing felony charges for his involvement in a Louisville protest demanding action against the police officer who shot Breonna Taylor.
According to the Courier-Journal:
Stills, 28, was entered into the jail’s booking log just before midnight after having been taken into custody earlier in the afternoon, as he and dozens of other protesters marched to the home of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to demand action against the police officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor in March.
Stills was charged with intimidating a participant in the legal process, a felony, as well as misdemeanor disorderly conduct and criminal trespass. His arraignment was set for 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Stills’ charges mirror those that 86 other protesters who were arrested Tuesday are facing. More than 100 marched from Ballard High School in Louisville’s East End to the home of Cameron, who protesters have long demanded charge the three Louisville Metro Police officers involved in Taylor’s killing.
All participants were given the opportunity to leave before being removed, according to Louisville Metro Police Department Lamont Washington.
“Taylor was shot and killed by Louisville police serving a no-knock warrant in March,” the Courier-Journal reported. “No drugs were found at the Black ER technician’s home. One of the officers involved, Brett Hankison, has been fired, while two others, Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, remain on the force.”
Still joined the anthem protest movement begun by former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, in 2016. While most of the protests began tapering off in 2018, Stills, along with former Kaepernick teammate Eric Reid, continued the protests.
A large number of NFL players are expected to begin protesting anew at the start of the 2020 season, in response to the death of George Floyd.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn