The Saskatchewan Roughriders have issued a statement supporting their players’ decision to stand arm-in-arm during the anthem before Sunday’s game against Calgary.

President Donald Trump’s comments about owners firing players who kneel during the national anthem sparked a mass increase in such protests around the National Football League Sunday, as more than 130 players sat, knelt or raised their fists in defiance during early games.

Riders quarterback Kevin Glenn explained the decision after the game and he was just one of several players to speak out in support of the protests.

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie also issued a statement that was less full-throated in its support – “whether we liked or agreed with it” – but respected the players’ right to express their views.