NFL teams opening their seasons in empty stadiums knelt, locked arms, raised fists in protest or stayed off the field entirely for the “Star-Spangled Banner” and the Black anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” on Sunday as the once-reluctant league brought racial injustice to the forefront on the first full slate of the football season.
In Atlanta, where the Falcons and Seahawks wore armbands honoring civil rights leader John Lewis, the players did not move as the opening kickoff sailed through the end zone. Then every player on both teams dropped to a knee in the spot they were standing.