Chiefs interlock arms, Marcus Peters raises fist during anthem
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters raised his fist through the national anthem before Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium, as the team interlocked their arms.
Peters said on Friday he supported 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick but didn't say whether he planned to protest during the anthem.
"I salute Colin for what he's doing for a great cause,'' Peters said on Friday. "I'm 100 percent behind him. What's going on in law enforcement, it does need to change and it does need to change for ... everybody, not just us as black Americans.
"I feel that over the past year it's been displayed that's what's been going on across America and across the world and just on my [part] I don't think nothing's been done about it. We see what just happened over here in, what's it, Charleston? It's hard. As much as we have influences on the world and all these fans all around the world, once we come out like Colin did, it becomes a big huge thing like he's disrespecting the flag. He didn't say none of that. He spoke up about something he felt he needed to speak up about. I salute him for that. I'm going to back him up.''
"After having a number of thoughtful discussions as a group regarding our representation during the National Anthem, we decided collectively to lock arms as a sign of solidarity," the Chiefs said in a statement. "It was our goal to be unified as a team and to be respectful of everyone's opinions, and the remembrance of 9/11.
"It's our job as professional athletes to make a positive impact on our communities and to be proactive when change is needed. Together we are going to continue to have conversations, educate ourselves and others on social issues and work with local law enforcement officials and leaders to make an impact on the Kansas City community."
Players from several teams, including the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, helped to hold the edges of giant flags at their games.
Kaepernick has been moved by the amount of players around the NFL reaching out and supporting his decision to sit or kneel during the national anthem in protest of racial oppression and other social issues over the past few weeks.
Some players, including Seattle cornerback Jeremy Lane and Denver linebacker Brandon Marshall have joined Kaepernick and safety Eric Reid in kneeling during the anthem. Other have discussed it, though Kaepernick said earlier this week that some have expressed concerns about the possible repercussions of joining the protest.
"I think it's something that there's a lot of players that really feel the same way," Kaepernick said Wednesday. "They're just nervous about consequences that come along with it and a lot of them have families to feed and I think that's a tragic situation where players aren't comfortable speaking what's on their mind and what's right because they're afraid of consequences that come along with it. That's not an ideal environment for anybody."
Marshall has already experienced some of that blowback, losing an endorsement with the Air Academy Federal Credit Union on Friday after kneeling before Thursday's opener against Carolina. On Sunday, there were a handful of other NFL players who apparently weren't deterred and decided to join Kaepernick and Co. in sending their message, even on the 15th anniversary of the attack of Sept. 11, 2001.
Kaepernick and the Niners play Monday night but he said earlier this week he would have continued his protest had the 49ers played on Sunday, again emphasizing that his actions have nothing to do with disrespecting the military.
"Once again, this isn't a protest against men and women of the military," Kaepernick said. "I have great respect for them. I spoke with Nate Boyer and Joey Jones, those are great military vets and I've spoken to others as well. People are getting lost in what the true message is and don't want to address what it really is and address those issues. That's really the problem. I wish people would be as outraged about the murders that are happening in the street as they are about a protest."
