In partnership withT-Mobile
Sports

Ravens Legend Ray Lewis Joins Baltimore Players Who Kneel At London Game

The Ravens played the first NFL game since President Trump urged team owners to fire players who kneel during the national anthem.

Deb Belt's profile picture
Deb Belt, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
|

BALTIMORE, MD — Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh locked arms with his players Sunday while team owner Steve Bisciotti said he respects the decision by several players, and legend Ray Lewis, to kneel during the national anthem at their game in London. The actions came less than 48 hours after President Trump said NFL players who practice their First Amendment rights on the football field by kneeling during the national anthem should be fired.

Many players at the league's games on Sunday protested with some taking a knee during the anthem, others locking arms and the Pittsburgh Steelers stayed in the locker room as the "Star Spangled Banner" played.

At the league's first game in London, where the Baltimore Ravens lost 44-7 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, a couple dozen players took a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Jacksonville's owner, Shahid Khan, stood in a line shoulder-to-shoulder with his players, all of their arms interlocked in solidarity. Ravens coach John Harbaugh did the same.

Nearly a dozen Ravens players kneeled, including Lardarius Webb, Anthony Levine, Willie Henry and Za'Darius Smith.

"We recognize our players' influence. We respect their demonstration and support them 100 percent. All voices need to be heard. That's democracy in its highest form," Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in a statement. (For more events and local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Baltimore Patch, and click here to find your local Maryland Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

On Sunday, the hashtag #TakeAKnee was the top trending hashtag on Twitter as ordinary citizens, athletes and public figures all united to support those who choose to protest on the football field. The protests began last year when Colin Kaepernick — who then played for the San Francisco 49ers — began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. Many players then followed with their own protests.

For more Baltimore news, like the Baltimore Patch Facebook page:


One Ravens fan seemed to threaten to burn his team gear in response to Sunday's actions by Lewis, Terrell Suggs and others. Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler said in a Facebook post that taking a knee during the anthem is "nonsense" and called the NFL an embarrassment.

»What do you think of the president's comments and NFL player reaction? Tell us in comments below.

As expected, fan reaction was mixed.

The NFL protests throughout Sunday's games come after the president's comments that started on Friday night and only intensified from there.

The Pittsburgh Steelers skipped the national anthem altogether, remaining in their locker room for a private ceremony related to the flag. The entirety of the team, with the exception of Alejandro Villanueva who served in the Army, remained inside before the start of the game.

"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag to say get that son of a b***h off the field right now, out, he's fired," Trump said to the crowd at a rally in Huntsville, Alabama on Friday. "He's fired!

The president then solidified his condemnation for those practicing their First Amendment rights on his favorite medium.

"If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect...." the president said in the first of a two part tweet. "our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something else to do!" the second tweet said.

Trump again tweeted about the protests on Sunday, suggesting a boycott of the NFL, saying that if fans were to stop attending the games players would stop kneeling. On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin appeared on ABC News saying NFL players could have their First Amendment rights "off the field."

As the president's attacks grew, so did the backlash. Pro athletes voiced their opposition to Trump as did NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, although his statement was not as forceful as the words used by others.

LeBron James, another esteemed athlete, referred to the president as a "bum."

"U bum already said he ain't going! So therefore ain't no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!" James tweeted.

James' rebuke was in response to Trump "rescinding" an invitation to the Golden State Warriors for a visit to the White House saying Steph Curry was hesitating about whether he would attend. Curry, however, was not hesitating as the president claims and had clearly said he did not want to visit the White House.

James spoke out in greater length in a video saying Trump was trying to use sports, something that ordinarily unites people, to divide the country and that was not something he could stand for.

Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, from left, Mike Wallace, former player Ray Lewis and inside linebacker C.J. Mosley kneel down during the playing of the U.S. national anthem before an NFL football game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Ravens at Wembley Stadium in London, Sunday Sept. 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Baltimore