LONDON – Side by side, arm linked in arm, player-owner-player.

Marcedes Lewis. Shahid Khan. Telvin Smith.

It will serve as an iconic image on a day of unprecedented protest and unity in the NFL.

Donald Trump called the mothers of players who protest during the playing of the national anthem “bitches,” demanded said protesters be summarily fired and encouraged a boycott of the National Football League. The Jacksonville Jaguars, from ownership down to the last of the roster, responded by saying no, not here, not now, not in this sport.

It’s believed Khan became the first owner to ever join a player protest, sending a powerful picture of togetherness and support in a game played all the way over in England and beamed around the globe. Before their 44-7 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, at least 14 Jaguars took a knee during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” here. At least 10 Ravens did the same.

Other players of each team who didn’t feel comfortable using the anthem as a platform made sure they showed support for the teammates who did by standing as one.

“It was a privilege,” Khan said.

View photos Jaguars owner Shad Khan links arms with players during the national anthem before the game. (Reuters) More

Trump is a master of wedge issues, and like any good politician he wields them when things aren’t going his way politically. His presidency is a recurring cable TV shout-fest, the insults and intensity ramped up and nothing getting solved in the end.

Whether a few players kneel for the anthem – most often as a way of speaking up for the voiceless who have been subject to police violence – has little to no tangible impact on fans. It doesn’t get anyone a raise, or make their kid’s school better or defuse nuclear threats.

Yet many Americans are upset at what they see as disrespect for the flag, for the military, for the nation’s history. They have that right. They wonder why it needs to occur during what is otherwise entertainment. It’s fair to ask that. You can be offended by whatever you want in America. Whether Trump shares their rage or is just exploiting it, there are many who have an honest disagreement about the protests.

That includes some of the Jaguars, who are at least conflicted. Smith said he didn’t kneel because the game was being played on foreign soil and it didn’t feel right to him. Lewis said he struggles with the issue because his stepfather is a veteran with a Purple Heart.

“You can pull from both sides,” Lewis said.

Trump is feeding red meat to his base while trying to further divide America. Yet Sunday he ran into unexpected and unprecedented solidarity in the NFL. Players and owners and coaches generally feud over everything – from rules to investigations, from revenue to safety.

They all agreed on Sunday.

Here was Khan, who once cut Trump a check for $1 million for his inauguration fund, calling the president’s comments “contentious and divisive.” Here was Khan, a Pakistani immigrant who came to America at age 16, worked for $1.20 an hour washing dishes, put himself through college and built a billion-dollar automotive manufacturing empire, walking into a pregame meeting with the Jaguars captains and stunning them by saying, I’m walking out with you, I’m standing with you.

“He’s a great owner,” Smith said. “But that took it to a level of him being a great man. I just have so much respect.”

If Trump wants owners to fire the players, then here was an owner reaffirming his willingness to allow his employees to express themselves on the job. That is the owners’ right, of course. Big government trying to dictate the terms of personal employment deals used to be considered outrageous. If Trump wants the league to turn on itself, here were very different people coming to the same conclusion, that no matter their differences of opinion, intelligent, respectful discussion should prevail over profane rants.

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