Activism in the National Football League

Baltimore Ravens and Ray Lewis Kneel during US National Anthem, Matt Dunham, London, England, September 24, 2017. Courtesy Associated Press

On September 24, 2017, during a primetime London Game, players and coaches from the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars took a knee or stood arm-in-arm during the American national anthem as a protest against police brutality. After 49ers player Colin Kaepernick initially took a knee during the national anthem in 2016, similar demonstrations were appearing across the NFL, but this international display with coach support was a sign of solidarity against incendiary comments by then-President Donald Trump who had that week publicly suggested that owners fire any and all protesting players.