Real Patriots? Many Kneel Among Boos During National Anthem

FOXBOROUGH, MA — Well over a dozen Patriots took a knee among discernible boos during Sunday afternoon's national anthem before kickoff. Quarterback Tom Brady was among those standing, hand over heart, arms interlocked with other players. Coach Bill Belichick was standing.

The visiting Texans appeared to all be standing with arms interlocked. It wasn't immediately clear if any kneeled. (Find your local Patch and sign up for news and real-time alerts.)

President Trump has spent the past couple of days railing against players who kneel during the anthem, suggesting owners should fire them. Sunday morning, he doubled down yet again, pointing out the NFL's lower-than-usual ratings.

Team owner Robert Kraft and Brady spoke up Sunday morning. Both are longtime friends of Trump, with Kraft having being a large donor to his presidential campaign, but only Kraft directly condemned Trump's words.

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Kraft said he was "deeply disappointed by the tone of the comments made by the President," in a Sunday morning statement. Other owners had made statements as early as Saturday evening, while other owners had yet to address the topic.

Trump seemed to let Kraft off the hook later Sunday, saying "Look, that’s OK. He has to take his ideas and go with what he wants ... I like Bob very much, we’re friends — he gave me a Super Bowl ring a month ago, right? — so he’s a good friend of mine, and I want him to do what he wants to do, but we have a great country, we have great people representing our country, especially our soldiers, our first responders, and they should be treated with respect, and when you get on your knee and you don’t respect the American flag or the anthem, that’s not being treated with respect."

Brady appeared to endorse a message of unity and brotherhood among NFL players, first posting an emoji of a flexed arm on Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' Instagram post featuring players on one knee, with the hashtags unity, brotherhood, family, dedication, and love.

Brady then posted an Instagram photo of himself and teammate James White with the caption: "Strength. Passion. Love. Brotherhood. Team. Unity. Commitment. Dedication. Determination. Respect. Loyalty. Work. #nflplayer"

Brady was among a number of players Sunday afternoon interlocking arms. The quarterback endorsed Trump in the past, and Trump told a crowd on the eve of election day that Brady called to tell him he voted for him.

A number of fans expressed their displeasure, some reportedly screaming "Stand up!" and many booing during the anthem.

Some teams took it a step further Sunday. In London, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan stood arms interlocked with players. In Chicago, the Pittsburgh Steelers remained in the locker room during the anthem, with the exception of Alejandro Villanueva, who served in the Army, and stood outside the tunnel.

Photo: Several New England Patriots players kneel during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. Photo by Michael Dwyer/Associated Press