Kevin C. Cox
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Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner revealed to the Seattle Times that the team may join San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and not stand for the U.S.A.'s national anthem in protest of black inequality and oppression.
“[A]nything we want to do, it’s not going to be individual," Wagner said yesterday. "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.” He added: "Whatever we decide to do will be a big surprise... our locker room has discussed it. So we’ll see.”
Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane sat during the anthem before last Sunday's preseason game (and has been thanked by Kaepernick), and wide receiver Doug Baldwin, a six-year veteran of the military, also told the Times that he is considering sitting.
The team's next game is on September 11, and the date's significance did not escape Baldwin. "We have a concern that this date is coming up just because we are Americans and it’s an important day... Even if it wasn’t September 11 the point of the protest is to get people to think. I think it’s very ironic to me that 15 years ago on September 11 was one of the most devastating times in U.S. history and after that day we were probably the most unified that we have ever been. And today we struggle to see the unity. And it’s very ironic to me that this date is coming up. So it’s going to be a special day, a very significant day, but at the same time I am looking forward to... the changes we can make in this country to make better changes in our country."