NFLers fell silent and stood arm-in-arm to call for racial equality on Thursday night — and some fans in the stands booed them for it.
The not-so-silent moment of silence played out in front of some 17,000 fans at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, ahead of the NFL season opener between the hometown Chiefs and the Houston Texans.
“Please join us for a moment of silence dedicated to the ongoing fight for equality in our country,” the stadium announcer said, just before the planned moment of silence.
The players linked arms and the volume in the stadium instantly went up, as many fans loudly tried to disrupt the brief gesture. Boos, whistles, shouts and jeers rang out from the stands, and fans cheered loudly after the roughly 10-second moment ended.
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Kansas City Chiefs players, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15), stand for a presentation on social justice before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo.
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
The players’ gesture of respect — and the fans’ gestures of disrespect — came at a moment of turmoil in the United States. The country has been wracked by protests over systemic racism and police brutality triggered by the death of George Floyd in police custody last May. Those protests have been fuelled by several other incidents of Black people being injured or killed by law enforcement, along with incendiary calls for “law and order” from the White House.
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Roughly two-thirds of all NFL players are Black. Nearly all of the league’s owners are white, with two exceptions: a Pakistani-American man and an Asian-American woman.
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The league has seen many acts of protest around police brutality in recent years, dating back to Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the national anthem in 2016. Players have occasionally followed Kaepernick’s example since that happened, sparking outrage among some of their conservative fans. Kaepernick himself was blackballed by the league’s owners and hasn’t played since his season of protest.
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The league has also become a lightning rod for criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly mischaracterized the players’ calls for equality as disrespect for the American anthem and flag.
The Chiefs and Texans had discussed how they would address the pregame before it happened on Thursday, and opted to show their solidarity in a moment separate from the anthem.
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There was no live version of the anthem. Instead, Alicia Keys appeared on video to perform Lift Every Voice and Sing, a Black anthem, before The Star-Spangled Banner played on the video board. The visiting Texans remained in their locker room for the anthem and emerged afterwards to a chorus of boos.
“The moment of unity I personally thought was good,” Texans player J.J. Watt told reporters after the game. “The booing during that moment (of silence) was unfortunate,” he added. “I don’t fully understand that. There was no flag involved. There was nothing involved other than two teams coming together to show unity.”
The NFL tweeted a seemingly volume-controlled clip of the moment on Thursday night. However, broadcast footage and fan videos capture the sounds of the boos, which rang out shortly after the players lined up together.
Both head coaches claimed ignorance when it came to the boos.
“Maybe they were just booing us because we had just come on the field as the visiting team,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said after the game. “But yeah, I thought that that was a nice gesture,” he said.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid also claimed not to hear the boos.
“I’m proud of our players but I’m also proud of our fans,” he said after the game. “They were loud.”
Griffin also shared a video put out by the NFL Players Association on Thursday, which sought to explain why players are calling for justice. The video features Kaepernick, Griffin and several other players explaining their positions, responding to Trump and their far-right critics.
“All this stuff is going on in our country, and police are really killing Black people at an alarming rate,” Buffalo Bills player Josh Norman says in the video. “You’re going to take that and say we’re kneeling against the flag?”
Kansas City councilman Eric Brunch said it was an “embarrassing” moment for the city.
“Some NFL fans booing the players for standing and locking arms in a moment of silent unity proves that for them the ‘standing for the flag’ was always about perpetuating white supremacy,” he tweeted. “Let’s do better, KC.”
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Members of the Kansas City Chiefs stand united for with locked arms before the start of a gam against the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium on September 10, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
The NBA has gone even further than the NFL with its calls for racial justice. Last month, NBA players organized their own brief strike to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot in the back in Kenosha, Wis.
Several other major-league sports followed the NBA’s example, although the NFL was not playing at the time.
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The NFL kicked off its season on Thursday in front of a dramatically reduced crowd due to the risk of COVID-19. The Chiefs’ stadium typically holds 80,000 fans, but only 17,000 were allowed at the game.
The Super Bowl-defending Chiefs won the game 34-20.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
