There were no demonstrations by any players during the singing of the national anthem Thursday night at the Hall of Fame game.
All players and coaches for the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens stood as the NFL’s preseason began.
The NFL modified its national anthem protocol in May Carlton Davis Jersey , prohibiting any sort of demonstrations for 2018, but allowing players to remain in the locker room during ”The Star-Spangled Banner” if they chose to. Individual teams would be responsible for disciplining any demonstrators.
The players’ union filed a grievance about the policy change, and late last month, the new policy was put on hold while the NFL and NFLPA work on a resolution.
Those demonstrations were begun by then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016 when he kneeled during the anthem to protest racial inequality and social injustice. The kneeling and other displays of protest spread leaguewide, particularly when President Trump suggested team owners fire players who didn’t stand for the anthem.
”We as a group talked about it and decided that was what we were doing,” new Bears coach Matt Nagy said. ”It’s for unity and togetherness. The guys are really excited to come up with one deal as a team. They were all out there; from what we talked about, it happened.”
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Former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin, spurred the shutdown of his former Los Angeles-area high school and was questioned by police after a menacing Instagram post appeared on his account.
The post from Martin, who has struggled with mental health issues after a 2013 bullying scandal that shook the NFL Authentic Kevin Hogan Jersey , showed a shotgun and referred by name to the private Harvard-Westlake prep school in Los Angeles that he once attended. It also mentioned the Instagram names of two former Dolphins teammates who harassed him, Richie Incognito and Mike Pouncey. The post said suicide and revenge were the only options for a victim of bullying.
School officials at Harvard-Westlake sent an emergency alert to students and staff early Friday evacuating campus and canceling school.
Los Angeles police would say only that they have an individual who they believe is responsible for the incident. They say he was detained, but is not in LAPD custody.
Several media outlets, however, including the Los Angeles Times and KABC-TV Jordan Akins Color Rush Jersey , were told by law enforcement sources that the person questioned was Martin.
Martin left the Miami Dolphins midseason in 2013 after accusing teammates of bullying. An NFL investigation found that Incognito, Pouncey and teammate John Jerry engaged in persistent harassment directed at Martin.
Incognito was suspended for the final eight games and sat out the 2014 season before joining the Buffalo Bills.
The NFL's investigation also found that teammates threatened to rape Martin's sister, called him a long list of slurs and bullied him for not being "black enough." Martin is black and Incognito is white.
Martin, who underwent counseling for emotional issues after the bullying scandal, posted on Facebook in 2015 that difficulties in football led him to attempt suicide multiple times.
Martin Colts Nyheim Hines Jersey , the son of two Harvard graduates, attended Stanford University. After he left the Dolphins, Martin played for the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers. He left the NFL in 2015.
Representatives for the Miami Dolphins and the NFL declined to comment.