The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had two players protesting during the national anthem today: wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans both took a knee. President Donald Trump had unleashed a storm of criticism after calling for players who protested during the national anthem to be fired, and Jackson and Evans appeared to be reacting specifically to those comments.
I definitely will be making a statement no disrespect to our military of service But we have to stick together as people !! Unity
— Desean Jackson (@DeSeanJackson11) September 23, 2017
Most NFL teams as well as commissioner Roger Goodell released statements condemning Trump’s statements and expressing support for their players’ right to protest in whatever way they saw fit.