More players joined the wave of protests that have continued to mount across the NFL, on Sunday, September 25. As Week-3 of the 2016 season rolls into Monday night's game in New Orleans, the movement sparked by Colin Kaepernick in August now boasts at least 37 individual players across the league's eight divisions, in addition to the solidarity again shown by the entire Seattle Seahawks team.
With each game, the number of demonstrators behind Kaepernick in San Francisco has increased, with cornerback Keith Reaser and running back Mike Davis joining in raising their fists alongside Antoine Bethea, Jaquiski Tartt, and Rashard Robinson. Linebacker Eli Harold had previously raised a fist, but this week knelt beside Kaepernick and Eric Reid, bringing the team's total to eight. The Broncos' Brandon Marshall, who was the first player to protest during the regular season, continued to take a knee as the only Denver player to defy team sponsor, CenturyLink's threat to drop its endorsement of anyone demonstrating during the national anthem.
There were a few players who have discontinued their protest, as was the case with Philadelphia Eagles Marcus Smith and Steven Means, who parted ways from the active stance of safety Malcolm Jenkins and cornerback Rob Brooks. But for the most part teams saw a player or two add their voices to the movement, whether they knelt or raised a fist. An additional three players [Joshua Perry, D.J. Fluker, and King Dunlap] converged with linemen Joe Barksdale and Chris Hairston to give the San Diego Chargers a total of five demonstrators to date, while four Washington Redskins [DeSean Jackson, Greg Toler, Rashad Ross and Niles Paul], four Jacksonville Jaguars [Dante Fowler Jr., Jared Odrick, Tlvin Smith and Hayes Pullard], and four Tennessee Titans [Jason McCourty, Jurrell Casey, Wesley Woodyard and DaQuan Jones] stood with their fists in the air. Despite being inactive due to injury, Arian Foster knelt beside Kenny Stills and Michael Thomas to keep the Miami Dolphins three strong in the movement.
Players from the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers, Oakland Raiders, and Houston Texans also took a stand. They are listed as: Antonio Cromartie [Colts], Robert Quinn [Rams], Marcus Ball [Panthers], Bruce Irvin and Malcolm Smith [Raiders], and Duane Brown of the Texans.
Source: espn.com
