President Donald Trump’s criticism of players who kneel during the national anthem sparked a mass increase in such protests around the National Football League Sunday, as about 200 players sat, knelt or raised their fists in defiance during early games.
A week ago, just six players protested.
Most of the players on Sunday locked arms with their teammates — some standing, others kneeling — in show of solidarity. A handful of teams stayed off the field until after “The Star-Spangled Banner” to avoid the issue altogether.
As he prepared to board Air Force One to return to Washington from New Jersey, Trump said the players protesting the anthem were “very disrespectful to our country” and called again on owners to stop what he considers unpatriotic displays in America’s most popular sport.