Donald Trump has expressed his displeasure after player demonstrations took place during the national anthem in the first round of NFL preseason games on Thursday night.

“The NFL players are at it again – taking a knee when they should be standing proudly for the National Anthem,” the US president tweeted on Friday morning. “Numerous players, from different teams, wanted to show their ‘outrage’ at something that most of them are unable to define. They make a fortune doing what they love......”

The NFL players are at it again - taking a knee when they should be standing proudly for the National Anthem. Numerous players, from different teams, wanted to show their “outrage” at something that most of them are unable to define. They make a fortune doing what they love...... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2018

While players from several teams protested, only two – Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson of the Miami Dolphins – knelt during the anthem. Their teammate Robert Quinn stood for the anthem before the game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but raised his right fist as it played. In Philadelphia, Malcolm Jenkins and De’Vante Bausby raised their fists during the anthem, and the defensive end Chris Long placed his arm around Jenkins’s shoulder. Their fellow Eagles player Michael Bennett, who has been vocal on social issues, walked out of the tunnel during the anthem. Elsewhere, several players from the Seattle Seahawks and the Jacksonville Jaguars stayed in the locker room while the Star-Spangled Banner played before their games.

The anthem protests started during preseason two years ago when San Francisco 49ers players Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid knelt during the anthem to protest social injustice in the United States. Both Kaepernick and Reid have been unable to find teams willing to sign them this season, and have filed collusion grievances against the NFL alleging they have been kept out of the league due to their political stances.

Despite the president’s assertion that players were unable to define what they were protesting about, several players made statements clarifying their positions on Thursday. “Before we enjoy this game lets take some time to ponder that more than 60% of the prison population are people of color,” wrote Jenkins on Twitter before Thursday’s game. “The NFL is made up of 70% African Americans. What you witness on the field does not represent the reality of everyday America. We are the anomalies...”

Before we enjoy this game lets take some time to ponder that more than 60% of the prison population are people of color. The NFL is made up of 70% African Americans. What you witness on the field does not represent the reality of everyday

America. We are the anomalies... pic.twitter.com/gCeNKuTl1d — Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) August 9, 2018

Quinn also gave his reasons for protesting. “As a black man in this world, I’ve got an obligation to raise awareness,” he said after Thursday’s game. “If no one wants to live in unity, that’s why we’re in the situation we’re in.’’

Kaepernick tweeted his support for Stills and Wilson on Thursday night. “My brother @kstills continued his protest of systemic oppression tonight by taking a knee,” he wrote. “Albert Wilson joined him in protest. Stay strong brothers!”



The NFL and players union have yet to announce an anthem policy after the league initially ruled that teams could be fined if players knelt during the Star-Spangled Banner. The league issued a statement saying it was reviewing the policy on Thursday.

“The NFL has been engaged in constructive discussions with the NFL Players Association regarding the anthem and issues of equality and social justice that are of concern to many Americans,” the league spokesman Brian McCarthy wrote in an email. “While those discussions continue, the NFL has agreed to delay implementing or enforcing any club work rules that could result in players being disciplined for their conduct during the performance of the anthem.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Malcolm Jenkins (27) raises his fist during the national anthem. Photograph: James Lang/USA Today Sports

“Meanwhile, there has been no change in the NFL’s policy regarding the national anthem. The anthem will continue to be played before every game, and all player and non-player personnel on the field at that time are expected to stand during the presentation of the flag and performance of the anthem. Personnel who do not wish to do so can choose to remain in the locker room.”

The protest has been a focus of Trump’s ire throughout his presidency. Last year he said: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say: ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now.’” He has also blamed the protests for a fall in the NFL’s TV ratings.

Last week Trump attacked LeBron James, perhaps the most famous athlete in America. The president tweeted that CNN host Don Lemon “made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do”, in response to a conversation the two men had about Trump’s previous criticism of black athletes, including Kaepernick. Lemon accused Trump of racism over the incident. “Let me not mince words here. This president traffics in racism and is fueled by bullying,” he said. “From keeping children at the border in cages to bullying journalists at his rallies every chance that he gets. President Trump is trying a divide and conquer strategy here and here’s how it goes ... The overwhelming negative response to his unfair and unkind attack on a good man, LeBron James, shows America rejects what he is peddling.”