3 Packers sit in protest during anthem
Rookie, veterans stayed on bench as others linked arms before game
GREEN BAY - Kevin King had a big day ahead of him.
It was the Green Bay Packers rookie’s first NFL start, and this wasn’t easy. King would have to primarily match up against Cincinnati Bengals receiver A.J. Green, one of the NFL’s best players.
In those fleeting moments before kickoff, his mind could’ve been flooded with butterflies and schematics. Part nerves, part adrenaline. Instead, when the national anthem started playing Sunday at Lambeau Field, King chose to make a statement by taking a seat on the bench.
“It was crazy,” King said, “because here I am, I’m going into my first game starting, and I’m following A.J. Green. And, of course, I know that. Before the game, I’m thinking about if I should kneel, and that says something there. Of course I’m focused on the game and everything, but in the back of my mind, I’m thinking, ‘What should I do in this situation?’
“It was really a gametime decision. It’s hard, being a rookie. It’s hard. I had to think long and hard about it, because there’s a lot that can come with that.”
King was one of three Packers players who chose to sit during Sunday’s national anthem, joining tight ends Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks. It was the first time since NFL players started protesting inequality and police brutality last year that a Packers player sat during the national anthem.
Until Sunday, the closest a Packers player had come to protesting was Bennett lifting his right fist in the air during the national anthem before the team’s first two regular-season games.
Though their actions were boldest, the rookie cornerback and two veteran tight ends were not the only players who protested. Most, but not all, Packers players locked arms standing along the sideline. Across the field, Cincinnati Bengals players locked arms.
Both teams joined an NFL-wide reaction against President Donald Trump’s comments Friday night at a rally in Huntsville, Ala.
“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners,” Trump said, “when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that (expletive) off the field right now? Out. He’s fired. He’s fired.”
A day later, Packers president Mark Murphy called Trump’s words “divisive and offensive statements” that were “unfortunate” to hear from a president. Later Saturday, coach Mike McCarthy said he held a team meeting, reading Murphy’s statement to players. McCarthy said “we support our players” protesting through the national anthem.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers expressed his support via posts an Instagram before the game.
“On this team, we’re going to keep choosing love over hate, unity over division, and that’s what it was to us,” Rodgers told the media after the game. “In talking last night and this morning, the few of us who linked arms just wanted to show a united front. ... Today was about using our platform to promote love and unity and acceptance and togetherness, and I hope we did that.”
While unity was important, defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois said their Saturday night meeting broke with an understanding each player had the freedom to choose their own response. Not every Packers player locked arms along the sideline. Among the players who stood alone were kicker Mason Crosby, running back Jamaal Williams, guard Lane Taylor, tackle Kyle Murphy and punter Justin Vogel.
“Everybody was like, ‘Do what you’ve got to do,’” Jean Francois said. “I understood there were going to be players that take a knee, there was going to be players who locked arms, there was going to be guys who were sitting down during the national anthem. At the end of the day, we told everybody, ‘Do what you believe. Don’t do what you see the next man do, because he might have a different belief than you do.’
“So whatever your belief, is at the end of the day, that’s what we roll with. We’re not judging anybody in this locker room.”
Standing at his locker after the Packers’ 27-24 overtime win, the decision to sit through the national anthem still weighed on Kendricks. The Milwaukee native said he considers himself an apolitical person. Kendricks made clear his decision intended no disrespect toward the U.S. military. Kendricks’ grandfather is buried at the veterans’ cemetery in Milwaukee, he said.
He didn’t plan to protest, Kendricks said, until the Lambeau Field public announcer asked the crowd to stand for the national anthem. While he joined his teammates’ protest against inequality and police brutality, Kendricks said he was most offended at what he perceived as a lack of respect and attention from Trump on natural disasters.
Kendricks’ wife, Danielle, is a native of Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island without power after Hurricane Maria.
“My wife is stressed out about what’s going on over there in Puerto Rico,” Kendricks said. “So I thought, ‘Maybe this is what I need to do. Maybe this is something I should do.’ It weighed heavy on me, and I had to do it. It was more than just a reaction. I feel for those people over there. It’s all about respect and coming together.”
“It’s hard, being a rookie. It’s hard. I had to think long and hard about it, because there’s a lot that can come with that.” KEVIN KING ON DECIDING WHETHER TO SIT DURING NATIONAL ANTHEM