The Seattle Seahawks took the field ahead of the national anthem before Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts. Several members of the defensive line and a linebacker sat on the bench, including defensive end Michael Bennett.
Ahead of the nationally televised primetime game, the Seahawks mixed up the order of the pregame ceremonies. The Canadian national anthem was performed. The Seahawks then came on the field. That was followed by the coin toss, and then the American national anthem was performed.
Among the players who sat were Bennett, Cliff Avril, Frank Clark, Sheldon Richardson, Jarran Reed, Nazair Jones, Garrison Smith, Michael Wilhoite, and Marcus Smith. Bennett has sat on the bench since the first preseason game.
Center Justin Britt stood with his hand on Bennett's shoulder, as he has since the second preseason game. Offensive lineman Oday Aboushi had his hand on Britt's shoulder.
Some booing was heard from the sellout crowd at CenturyLink Field.
Ahead of the nationally televised primetime game, the Seahawks mixed up the order of the pregame ceremonies. The Canadian national anthem was performed. The Seahawks then came on the field. That was followed by the coin toss, and then the American national anthem was performed.
The Seahawks stayed in the locker room during the anthem before last weekend's game against the Tennessee Titans.
The enhanced furor over the protests came after President Donald Trump called on team owners to fire players who did not stand for the anthem. That led to the number of players kneeling or sitting during the anthem, or staying off the field, from a handful to over 200 last Sunday.
Bennett made news this week when he had an impromptu chat with a group of veterans outside Seahawks headquarters in Renton. The veterans were standing outside the building and Bennett stopped to talk to them. That led a military wife, Dayna Coats, who saw the interaction to pull over, overcome with emotion. She said she had been conflicted about the issue. Coats and Bennett talked and listened to each other for 20 minutes.
The Indianapolis Colts released a statement saying it would respect all forms of peaceful protest "as they are protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Some of our players may kneel, while others may stand."
The Colts players wore T-shirts during warmups that said "We will" on the front. On the back, it read "Stand for... Equality, Justice, Unity, Respect, Dialogue, Opportunity."
The Colts players locked arms during the anthem.
