The NFL season kicks off en masse Sunday on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and the playing and observance of the national anthem _ once considered a symbol of national unity _ will be in the spotlight as America wonders if additional players will choose to kneel, instead of stand, to protest racial divisiveness.
Colin Kaepernick, whose San Francisco 49ers don't play until Monday night, triggered what could be a growing movement among players on Aug. 26 when he chose to kneel before the national anthem at a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. On Thursday, Denver's Brandon Marshall knelt on one knee before his team's season opener and the entire Seahawks team is said to be considering either sitting or kneeling before their game Sunday against the Dolphins.
"People don't realize what's really going on in this country," Kaepernick said of his decision not to stand. "There are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust. People aren't being held accountable for. And that's something that needs to change."
There is no rule that players have to stand for the national anthem. But there is a clear divide among NFL players, fans and executives when it comes to whether or not they should and what it means if they don't. Are players un-American for not standing? Or are they patriots for exercising their First Amendment rights?
On his WFAN radio show, Boomer Esiason called Kaepernick "about as disrespectful as any athlete has ever been." Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall disagreed strongly.
"This guy, he's one of the biggest patriots out there," he said to Boomer and his radio partner, Craig Carton. "Because he's standing up for human rights."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell seems to come down somewhere in the middle.
"I don't necessarily agree with what he is doing" Goodell told The Associated Press last week. "I support our players when they want to see change in society, and we don't live in a perfect society. "On the other hand, we believe very strongly in patriotism in the NFL. I personally believe very strongly in that."
Even President Obama weighed in on Kaepernick's protest.
"When it comes to the flag and the national anthem and the meaning that holds for our men and women in uniform and those who fought for us, that is a tough thing for them to get past," Obama said. "But I don't doubt his sincerity. I think he cares about some real, legitimate issues that have to be talked about. If nothing else, he's generated more conversation about issues that have to be talked about."
