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NFL Players Kneel, Raise Fists During National Anthem in Preseason Games

Colin Kaepernick hails continuing “protest of systemic oppression” as movement keeps going.

Several NFL players raised their fists or took a knee during the national anthem at preseason games Thursday night, reigniting the social-justice protests that provoked the wrath of President Trump last season. Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, who had promised this week that players would soon let their stance be known on the league’s new anthem policy, raised his fist, along with cornerback De’Vante Bausby. Jenkins and other Eagles players wore a T-shirt during pregame warm-ups that read, “More than 60 percent of prison populations are people of color” and “Nearly 5,000 kids are in adult prisons and jails.” Several Miami Dolphins players also joined in the protest, with defensive end Robert Quinn raising a fist as wide receivers Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson took a knee. Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers player who started the protest movement, hailed Stills and Wilson for continuing “the protest of systemic oppression.” The renewed protests come just weeks after the league sowed confusion by initially vowing to fine teams with players who protest, only to backtrack on that new policy and announce it would work with the NFL Players Association to reach an agreement on the matter.