NFL Opening Night Marred by Protests as One Team Boycotts Anthem
By Bryan Chai
Published September 10, 2020 at 6:10pm
And they’re off!
The 2020-2021 NFL season has officially begun, and scores of football fans couldn’t be more excited.
Well … maybe some fans could be more excited.
The inaugural game of the new NFL season has begun with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans, but somehow, even before a single second of actual on-field play occurred, there already appeared to be controversy afoot.
First, the Chiefs revealed social justice messages — “End Racism” and “It Takes All of Us” — that were prominently featured in their stadium’s end zones:
Perhaps more controversially, the Chiefs and Texans each partook in their own respective form of protest during the playing of the national anthem.
The Texans opted not to come out for the national anthem at all. They instead chose to stay in the locker room during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” When they did come out, there were audible boos.
Several Chiefs players, including the reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, linked arms. One Chiefs player, Alex Okafor, knelt during the anthem and raised his right fist.
