In July, the NFL decided to play "Lift Every Voice and Sing," commonly known as the Black national anthem, prior to kickoff of Week 1 games, in addition to the usual national anthem. On Thursday, the Miami Dolphins announced that the team would remain inside the locker room during the playing of both anthems.
In a poem recited by various Dolphins players, the team described the NFL's decision to play "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as "fluff and empty gestures."
"If we could just right our wrongs, we wouldn’t need two songs," the poem read. "We don’t need another publicity parade.