According to one member of the Seattle Seahawks, the team is considering sitting down en masse during the national anthem this Sunday, September 11.
As reported in the Seattle Times, linebacker Bobby Wagner, who is considering joining cornerback Jeremy Lane, who has already sat during the anthem during the preseason and said he intends to continue doing so, said, “Anything we want to do, it’s not going to be individual. 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 that he couldn’t say whether the team would join Lane but “whatever we decide to do will be a big surprise . . . our locker room has discussed it. So we’ll see.” He said what the organization felt about the matter was irrelevant, saying, “We have the freedom to do whatever we want here. Whatever we decide to do, we ain’t gonna get into too much trouble. We’re big kids now.”
Seattle receiver Doug Baldwin said on Wednesday he might join Lane when the anthem is played before Sunday’s 1:05 p.m. kickoff at Century Link Field.
Baldwin tweeted last Friday, “We honor those who fight for our right to freedom of speech and then condemn those who exercise that right?” He asserted, “My grandfather being in the military, it hit home for me as well, and specifically it’s the veterans. That’s more heartening to me than anything is the veterans that have reached out and said that’s what they fought for, that’s what they sacrificed their lives for, is to give people back home under the flag, under this country, the opportunity to stand up or sit for what they believe in.”
Lane sat last Thursday before the final preseason game at Oakland, claiming he was showing solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, who incited a hailstorm of criticism when he sat during the anthem two weeks ago.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he has spoken with Lane and the team and the team approves of anything Lane does, stating, “He’s pretty clear on what he did and what he was trying to express and I think it is very simple and so we’ll leave that up to him. But he understands the responsibility of it, I think, and shouldering it.’’
When asked whether the game being played on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks might affect the response to a possible sit-down, Baldwin answered, “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 Sept.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.”
“Our locker room has discussed it. So we’ll see.”
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner
Carroll, who was seemingly a “truther” regarding the 9/11 attacks, was asked whether the 9-11 anniversary should be taken into consideration. He answered, “Not specifically to that. We have a concern that this date is coming up just because we are Americans and it’s an important day. But not specifically to that.”
Wagner said Kaepernick’s actions and the fallout have been a positive action, arguing, “At some point you have to do whatever you need to do to get that fixed. I think what he’s done is opened up that conversation and made people talk about it. Whenever you have the president talking about those types of things, it’s definitely getting it’s message across. But I think it’s a very positive message. There should be justice and equality for everybody, no matter what your skin color is, and I think that’s what he’s fighting for because a lot of black people don’t get that.”