Week Two: Four NFL Players Protest During Anthem, Two Kneel

Four NFL players renewed anthem protests as the league’s Week Two games kicked off this weekend.

Of the first nine of fourteen games scheduled for Sunday, two saw some form of protest during the playing of the national anthem.

Miami Dolphins wide receivers Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson took a knee during the anthem as they did for Week One and during most of last season. Defensive end Robert Quinn raised a fist during the song, Sports Illustrated reported.

The rest of the Dolphins and their opponents, the New York Jets, all stood for the anthem.

The only other player to protest was Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett, another perennial protester, who stayed in the locker room during the anthem. The rest of Bennett’s teammates stood for the song as did their opponents, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Of the rest of the early games, the Panthers, Falcons, Chargers. Bills, Vikings, Packers, Texans, Titans, Browns, Saints, Chiefs, Steelers, Colts, and the Redskins all stood for the anthem.

The protests were far fewer in number from Week One’s ten protesters.

The league has reportedly decided to take a pass on trying to make rules to govern the protests at least for the 2018 season. According to reports, the league will push any decisions off until the end of the season.

Meanwhile, the arbitrator handling Colin Kaepernick’s “collusion” case ruled that the case can go to trial. Kaepernick, the inventor of the protest during the national anthem, has claimed that the league and its owners have “conspired” to keep him from pursuing his NFL career. Kaepernick, who turned free agent at the end of the 2016 season, has remained unsigned since.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.