The National Football League’s 97th season may get off to a rocky start if the entire Seattle Seahawks team follows through on a threat to sit during the national anthem on Sunday, the 15-year anniversary of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks.
Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane has led the charge, but on Wednesday receiver Doug Baldwin said he may join his defensive teammate on the bench at the start of the game against the Miami Dolphins.
Linebacker Bobby Wagner added the entire team is mulling over the idea of following the example of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
“It’s going to be a team thing. That’s what the world needs to see. The world needs to see people coming together versus being individuals,” Wagner told the Seattle Times about a hypothetical team protest. “Whatever we decide to do will be a big surprise.”
Lane first sat during the anthem at last Thursday’s preseason game in Oakland and said he plans to continue sitting, but did not specify when he would end the protest.
“My grandfather being in the military, it hit home for me as well, and specifically it’s the veterans,” Lane said. “That’s more heartening to me than anything is the veterans that have reached out and said that’s what they fought for, that’s what they sacrificed their lives for, is to give people back home under the flag, under this country, the opportunity to stand up or sit for what they believe in.”
Baldwin has not yet made a decision about how he will observe the national anthem on Sunday, but added he is “praying a lot about it” and taking his father’s 35 years of police service into consideration. He also noted taking a knee or sitting at this specific game, on the anniversary of the largest terrorist attack the U.S. has ever weathered, could bring more attention, but not necessarily good attention, to the team.
Wagner remained adamant that whatever he or the team decides to do, the NFL and team officials will not affect or dictate their decision.
“I enjoy having conversations because we’re fortunate enough to have black people, white people, all type of people in this locker room,” Wagner said. “You get to see different backgrounds, different journeys. I think that’s what separates the NFL because they’re so many different cultures in here that you get to learn from, that you get to experience that people from the outside don’t get to experience. We don’t live in a box. We understand that there’s different type of views, different type of actions, and we have an open mind to listen to them.”
