Written by Travis Waldron at Huffington Post.com
Two weeks after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem sitdown grabbed headlines, the Seattle Seahawks could be ready to join him.
Seahawks defensive back Jeremy Lane has already done so. Lane sat down during the national anthem before Seattle’s final preseason game against the Oakland Raiders last week. But now, it seems the entire Seahawks team is planning something during their season opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. What that something is, though, remains unclear.
The first sign that more Seahawks players may join Lane and Kaepernick came from veteran wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who told the Seattle Times on Wednesday that he has considered sitting through the anthem.
“I have [considered it],” Baldwin said. “I want to make sure I get all of my ducks in a row before I do so.’’
Linebacker Bobby Wagner told the Times that whatever the team decides to do, “it’s not going to be individual. It’s going to be a team thing. That’s what the world needs to see. The world needs to see people coming together versus being individuals.”
Wagner added that it would be “a big surprise.”
On Thursday afternoon, Baldwin posted a cryptic tweet about the team’s plans:
To express a desire to bring people together, our team will honor the country and flag in a pregame demonstration of unity.
— Doug Baldwin Jr (@DougBaldwinJr) September 8, 2016
Meanwhile, Lane has repeatedly said that he plans to continue sitting through the pre-game ritual, and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has expressed support for his right to do so.
Kaepernick’s protest first drew attention at the 49ers’ Aug. 26 preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, when he did not stand for the anthem. Heexplained after the game that he is “not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
“To me,” he continued, “this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
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