#TakeAKnee: 5 Things To Know About NFL Players Protesting At Football Games

Whether you choose to stand for the national anthem or not is up to you. But that personal decision is one that’s become very public recently as more and more NFL players are choosing to #TakeAKnee while the song is played during football games. Here is what you need to know about the demonstration.

1. #TakeAKnee is a movement started last year by NFL player Colin Kaepernick. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, 29, began kneeling during the national anthem last NFL season as a demonstration to protest the current treatment of African Americans and other minorities in the U.S. His decision has lead to several other players “taking a knee” during the “Star-Spangled Banner” before games.

2. President Donald Trump has specifically attacked the players who are choosing to kneel. President Donald Trump, 71, said yesterday, Sept. 22, during a rally in Alabama that NFL team owners need to fire players who choose to participate in #TakeAKnee. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b**ch off the field right now. He is fired. He’s fired,'” Trump said. Click here to see pics of celebs protesting Trump.

3. The NFL didn’t take kindly to Trump’s statement about its players who choose to protest. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell slammed Trump’s “divisive” comments today, Sept. 23. “Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in our communities,” Roger said in a statement.

4. More players may be taking a knee after Trump’s Steph Curry diss today. The president came after NBA player Steph Curry, 29, when he disinvited him to the White House via Twitter today — after Steph said he didn’t want to come. There was instant backlash from other players, including Steph’s teammate LeBron James, 32.

5. The NAACP supports those who are protesting. Specifically in response to Trump’s decision to disinvite Steph, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is promoting the #TakeAKnee demonstrations. Their official Twitter account sent out a message after Trump’s tweet writing, “hero dissed by a …. fill in the blank,” including the hashtag #TakeAKnee. Clearly they want every athlete who chooses to get involved to take a knee!

Credit to Hollywood Lifers