ATLANTA — The Bears continued to protest racial injustice during the national anthem Sunday before their game against the Falcons.
In the first two games, Jimmy Graham and James Vaughters raised their firsts in the air. Neither did so Sunday.
Six players knelt during the anthem: tackle Bobby Massie and defensive linemen Brent Urban, Roy Robertson-Harris, Akiem Hicks, Mario Edwards and Bilal Nichols. They did the game the first two weeks.
About 20 Bears stayed in the tunnel during the anthem, performed as a saxophone solo, and ran on the field immediately afterward.
Bears coach Matt Nagy said during the preseason that he wanted his team to find a way to protest together. When his players decided to do many different things — raising fists, kneeling, standing and staying in the locker room — Nagy said that the approach fit with his “Be You” mantra.
The Bears have now protested similarly in each of their first three games.
