If the NFL's first game Sunday is any indication, it looks like teams across the league are planning an unprecedented show of unification following comments made by President Donald Trump at a rally in Alabama on Friday.
Before Sunday's game in England, which kicked off at 9:30 a.m. ET, dozens of players from both the Ravens and Jaguars protested the national anthem by kneeling. Players who weren't on their knee showed their unity by locking arms with teammates. It appeared that every player from both teams was either kneeling or standing with locked arms.
On the Ravens' sideline, nearly a dozen players kneeled, including Lardarius Webb, Anthony Levine, Willie Henry and Za'Darius Smith.
After Trump called for owners to fire any player who protests, Jaguars owner Shad Khan responded by taking part in the protest himself. Khan locked arms with Telvin Smith and Marcedes Lewis while the national anthem was being played.
After the anthem was over, Khan, who donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund, explained why he decided to take part in the protest with his team.
"I met with our team captains prior to the game to express my support for them, all NFL players and the league following the divisive and contentious remarks made by President Trump, and was honored to be arm in arm with them, their teammates and our coaches during our anthem," Khan said, via ESPN.com.
On the Jaguars sideline, there were also plenty of players who decided to kneel, including Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, Aaron Colvin, Sheldon Day and Malik Jackson.
As for the Ravens, coach John Harbaugh also showed unity by locking arms on the sideline during the anthem.
With almost every player on the Ravens and Jaguars protesting racial injustice for a game in England, there's a good chance that we're going to see that from every team in every game that's being played in Week 3. Here's a look at the scene in London:
Ravens and Jaguars players come together in a display of unity before kickoff in London. pic.twitter.com/dy8JDzOBas
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 24, 2017
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