A day after general manager John Lynch said he regretted how he explained his stance on national-anthem protests, the 49ers didn’t have a player kneel or raise a fist during “The Star Spangled Banner” before Saturday’s preseason game against Denver.
As they did in their preseason opener, many of the 49ers stood with the right hand over their chest.
On Friday, Lynch said he’d lost sleep after his comments a day earlier had inspired a mild controversy. Lynch said he thought anthem protests could be “divisive,” but respected players’ right to express themselves.
“If I could take one thing back, I would have changed that word because of the negative connotation,” Lynch said on KNBR.