Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks has been doing something before every game that would have caused much consternation for many people not long ago but now passes relatively unnoticed and unmentioned in game coverage.
He kneels during the national anthem.
Asked if he's surprised that kneeling no longer gets the attention it once did, Kendricks said, "I just feel like now it's like … people kind of are more aware of the situations that are going on in America. Maybe it's just a little bit more respected than it was back then."
Kendricks, who isn't alone among Vikings players now kneeling during the anthem, was succinct when asked Thursday why he does it.