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Sources: Bengals consider staying in locker room, kneeling during Week 1 national anthem

By Tyler Dragon | September 9, 2020 at 12:48 PM EDT - Updated September 9 at 12:48 PM 

CINCINNATI (Cincinnati Enquirer) - On the heels of walking to the National Underground Railroad Freedom to make a unified statement on standing against racial injustice, the Cincinnati Bengals are mulling over the idea of a Week 1 demonstration as a part of their continuation of efforts.

Multiple sources within the organization informed The Enquirer that the Bengals have had internal discussions about staying in the locker room or kneeling during the national anthem before Sunday’s game kicks off at Paul Brown Stadium, according to our media partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The sources declined to be named because a final decision hasn’t been made yet, according to our media partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer.

A final verdict hasn’t been made, but the team is contemplating both silent protests in efforts to raise more awareness about police brutality and systemic racism, according to our media partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer. And they’re not alone, other teams across the league have also had similar talks, including the Dallas Cowboys.

In 2016, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick became the first NFL player to take a knee during the national anthem as a form of protest against systemic racism and police brutality. Kaepernick knelt for the entire season. The quarterback became a free agent following the 2016 season and hasn’t been signed by an NFL club to this day. Many believe the quarterback is being blackballed by NFL owners. Kaepernick and Eric Reid, who also knelt with Kaepernick, filed a lawsuit accusing the NFL of colluding to prevent them from securing a contract as a free agent. Kaepernick, Reid and the NFL reached a confidential settlement in 2019.

Many owners across the NFL weren’t fans of Kaepernick and others kneeling as a form of protest during the national anthem because of the assumptions they made regarding his stance as an affront to the flag and military. However, four years later, some seem to have a change of heart in the wake of George Floyd’s death while in Minneapolis Police custody among other killings of unarmed Black men and women that reaffirmed the purpose of Kaepernick’s peaceful protest.

The NFL issued a league wide memo in July to announce the messages “It Takes All of Us” and “End Racism” will be stenciled on all end zone borders for home openers. The NFL is also planning to have extensive content regarding social injustice throughout Week 1, and every Week 1 contest will feature a pre-recorded version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is often referred to as the Black National Anthem. The Bengals are scheduled to play the Chargers at 4:05 p.m. Sunday on CBS (Local 12) with no fans in attendance at Paul Brown Stadium.

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18 hours ago, T-Dub said:

Does this whole routine from the NFL seem a little hollow to anyone else, considering they recently ran a guy out of the league for taking a stand on the same issues?

Everything corporations do "socially" is hollow.  On the other hand it is a reflection of the times and what is considered "good."

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21 hours ago, T-Dub said:

Does this whole routine from the NFL seem a little hollow to anyone else, considering they recently ran a guy out of the league for taking a stand on the same issues?

 

Yes, of course it's hollow. Goodell lives in the NYC area and grew up there. So his values are out of touch with a lot of fans in other places. Thus the booing in KC last night. 

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6 minutes ago, sparky151 said:

 

Yes, of course it's hollow. Goodell lives in the NYC area and grew up there. So his values are out of touch with a lot of fans in other places. Thus the booing in KC last night. 

 

Man was that ever ugly..  I think it would've been amazing if the teams had refused to play after such blatant disrespect.

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“Tonight’s NFL Kickoff game is sold out, with revenue up double digits vs. 2019 and the average cost per 30-second spot near $900,000,” an NBC spokesperson said on Thursday.
 

So long as sponsors continue to pay, the NFL will not care if anyone is in the stands, or watching on the tube.

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2 hours ago, T-Dub said:

 

Man was that ever ugly..  I think it would've been amazing if the teams had refused to play after such blatant disrespect.

It was kind of a “Jump the Shark” moment.  Protests (justified) have been going on for months  so watching a bunch of well paid athletes hold hands in a line on the field was kind of an eye roller.  Just too staged , corny and not authentic.  

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3 minutes ago, SF2 said:

It was kind of a “Jump the Shark” moment.  Protests (justified) have been going on for months  so watching a bunch of well paid athletes hold hands in a line on the field was kind of an eye roller.  Just too staged , corny and not authentic.  

 

Oh I'm sure it was stage managed entirely but I think their message was sincere.  Between the booing and that tomahawk chop shit it was not a good look for KC.  

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Maybe people are getting tired of having it crammed down their throats.   

 

Sports was supposed to be the one escape from all the politics.  People in KC paid money to go to a football game for escape, not indoctrination.

 

And the last time the NFL allowed on field protests the ratings tanked and they couldn't sell all those high ticket ad spaces.   Time will tell.

 

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54 minutes ago, mgbrown66 said:

Maybe people are getting tired of having it crammed down their throats.   

 

Sports was supposed to be the one escape from all the politics.  People in KC paid money to go to a football game for escape, not indoctrination.

 

And the last time the NFL allowed on field protests the ratings tanked and they couldn't sell all those high ticket ad spaces.   Time will tell.

 

I gotta admit to having some of these feelings.  The recurring theme of the pre-game up thru until the opening kickoff, and including Collinsworth's "let me just say that I fully..." speech, had me thinking "can't we just focus on football here for just a few hours?"

 

Yeah, I understand the power and draw of the telecast, NFL celebrities trying to do their part to show their support, etc, so I do get it and do respect their intended message, but still, I was hoping to finally get an escape from all that is 2020 right now.  I have to believe that they had good intentions and that they were not politically motivated or doing it for their own self-posturing.  I continued to watch and I will continue to support.

 

I, in no way condone the behavior of the KC crowd.  I agree that it was very disrespectful regardless, and not a good look for them.

 

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Sure the NFL is going to allow a couple support quotes in the end zone and allow the players to wear a decal showing support but they basically have shifted the whole social justice initiative away  from themselves onto the players.

 

After a couple of months it won't be the NFL  staff and owners it will be the players that the public will turn against.

 

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10 minutes ago, westside bengal said:

 

 

After a couple of months it won't be the NFL  staff and owners it will be the players that the public will turn against.

 

 

 

Which is why I think it would have been amazing if they heard the boos and were like "Oh really? Fuck you, go home then" and called it a night.   If they don't want to deal with thoughts or opinions of the performers expected to entertain them, try a horse race or cockfight.

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9 hours ago, T-Dub said:

 

 

Which is why I think it would have been amazing if they heard the boos and were like "Oh really? Fuck you, go home then" and called it a night.   If they don't want to deal with thoughts or opinions of the performers expected to entertain them, try a horse race or cockfight.

It would have been awesome but it will never happen because too many of the players don’t give a shit about anyone but themselves.  
 

They will do what their handlers tell them to do to protect their images, especially on social media. Old man Drew Brees found this out the hard way and was forced to swallow his pride.  
 

Tom Brady promises to listen and learn from his black teammates yet has put out almost nothing about the actual events on the ground.   Brady knows better than to open his mouth because what he says will never be good enough. 
 

Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun. Watson proposed the hand holding. What fool on either team would say no, feel the wrath of the Twitter mob and see his endorsements evaporate?  The crowd wasn’t impressed with the mandatory show of unity. 

 

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4 hours ago, SF2 said:

The crowd wasn’t impressed with the mandatory show of unity. 

 

 

I think you're being far too generous in guessing their motivations for all that, but I hope it illustrates that it will take more than some pro sports media campaign to create positive change & not just another KONY 2012 moment.

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10 hours ago, T-Dub said:

 

I think you're being far too generous in guessing their motivations for all that, but I hope it illustrates that it will take more than some pro sports media campaign to create positive change & not just another KONY 2012 moment.

I don’t think the fans in KC are opposed to change, I just think the Anthem(s) had been played and they were expecting the kickoff after the coin toss. I doubt there would have been any  booing at all if they did the unity thing during both anthems.     That would have taken some courage though. 

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51 minutes ago, SF2 said:

I don’t think the fans in KC are opposed to change, I just think the Anthem(s) had been played and they were expecting the kickoff after the coin toss. I doubt there would have been any  booing at all if they did the unity thing during both anthems.     That would have taken some courage though. 

Everything has to be Orchestrated ...

All right then...

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23 minutes ago, Griever said:

I just want to say how awesome it is to really see this place start to come alive as the dawn of a new Bengals season arrives. Going to be an interesting campaign to watch, glad to watch it unfold with the other fans here

 

 

That's all I ask, just keep it interesting enough to make me bother tuning in on Sundays.  Last year's squad wasn't really worth watching most of the time.

 

Not sure how Taylor gets zero blame for all that  but yknow.. Sure, OK, building a culture, never don't give up or whatever, OK sure.

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