US President Donald Trump has kept up his verbal battle with the NFL over players who drop to one knee during the national anthem, claiming their acts of protest had nothing to do with racism.
Dozens of NFL players, coaches and even some owners joined in silent protest at games on Sunday against Trump's call for owners to fire players who do not stand during the "Star-Spangled Banner."
Some black athletes disputed that statement.
"It is about race. It is about inequalities in our communities," Miami Dolphins player Michael Thomas told CNN. "People are going to continue to ... voice their opinion."
Trump kicked off his battle with the largest-grossing U.S. professional sports league at a rally on Friday, when he said any protesting player was a "son of a bitch" who should be "fired."
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that anti-racism protests should not be directed at the flag.
"If the debate is really for them about police brutality, they should protest the officers on the field that are protecting them instead of the American flag," she said.
The controversy highlighted a deep political rift that Trump's election has exposed across American society.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the anthem in protest of police brutality and racial inequities last year. No NFL team has signed Kaepernick for this season.
Not all players joined in Sunday's protests. Notably, Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Alejandro Villanueva, a US Army veteran, stood alone at the entrance to the stadium for the anthem on Sunday while his teammates waited in the locker room.
Villanueva jerseys and other apparel have outsold those of all other players in the past 24 hours, said a spokesman for online retailer Fanatics, which operates NFLShop.com.
Villanueva's teammate, Ben Roethlisberger, on Monday said he regretted having missed the anthem.
"I was unable to sleep last night," Roethlisberger said in a statement. "I personally don't believe the Anthem is ever the time to make any type of protest."
Trump called for a boycott of games. Early reports from the major networks were mixed.
CBS said overall viewership of games it broadcast on Sunday was up four per cent from last year and one per cent from last week.
NBC said viewership for its Sunday night game was down compared with the prior week.
The debate attracted intense attention online, with the hashtag "#TakeAKnee" racking up 2.4 million mentions and "#TakeTheKnee" used 1.2 million times by Monday, while "#BoycottNFL" had 101,500 mentions.
Prominent players continued to speak out against Trump on Monday.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who has said he considers Trump a friend, on Monday said he disagreed with Trump's remarks.
"I thought it was just divisive," Brady told Boston's WEEI radio.
At the same time as he berated the NFL, Trump praised car-racingleague NASCAR, which saw no protests at its Sunday race in New Hampshire.
One of that league's stars, Dale Earnhardt Jr., responded on Twitter.
Reuters
