U.S. soccer star Carli Lloyd felt the need to explain why she dared to stand for the national anthem during this week’s game.
During her team’s MLK Day game against Colombia, seven of the eleven U.S. Women’s National Team members took a knee during the national anthem.
But Lloyd, defender Kelley O’Hara, and midfielders Julie Ertz and Lindsey Horan decided to stand even as the rest of the team knelt.
The next day, Lloyd was asked about her decision to stand and explained why she stood instead of taking a knee as she usually has in recent seasons.
“I think the beauty of this team is that we stand behind each other, no matter what. And you know, players decided to kneel, some players decided to stand, and at the end of the day, we have each other’s backs, and ultimately, we’re here to support one another in any way that we can and that’s what’s amazing about this team.”
It is hard to discern any sort of answer in all that happy talk, but it is notable that she was even asked why she stood for the anthem.
The American anthem was played after the Colombian team members all stood and proudly sang their national anthem on Jan. 18.
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