NEW ORLEANS — For at least the first game of the NFL Season, Saints players stood for the National Anthem.
Reporters watching the game inside the Superdome said that the Saints stood for the National Anthem with their hands over their hearts. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers locked arms on the opposite sideline.
Malcolm Jenkins appears to be the only Saints player who was not on the field for the National Anthem.
Protesting during the National Anthem has become a common practice for US athletes trying to put a spotlight on the Black Lives Matter cause.
Collin Kaepernick first sat during the National Anthem during a preseason game in 2016 after national outrage over the police killings of black people across the country. He would later kneel during the anthem to show more respect for current and former members of the US military.
Players around the league joined Kaepernick in his protest, with some Saints players starting to protest in 2017 after President Donald Trump said owners should "get that son of a ***** off the field" in reference to protesters.
Over the Summer, Drew Brees said he would not support protests during the National Anthem, but later apologized after several of his friends and teammates showed disappointment in his remarks.
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