(AP) — NFL teams opening their seasons in empty stadiums knelt, locked arms or raised fists in protest for pregame ceremonies on the first full Sunday of the football season.
Others stayed off the field entirely. The Miami Dolphins called playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” and the Black anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” an “empty gesture.”
In Atlanta, the Falcons and Seahawks wore armbands honoring civil rights leader John Lewis. Players did not move as the opening kickoff sailed through the end zone. Then every player on both teams dropped to a knee in the spot they were standing.
