One of the biggest offseason storylines of the NFL offseason, the national anthem protests, has been a non-story now that the actual season has kicked off.
Through four weeks of play, a handful of players have continued to demonstrate during the anthem by kneeling, sitting, or raising a fist, but they have gone unnoticed for the most part.
Perhaps the biggest reason for that is President Trump, who has railed against protesting players on Twitter and in speeches, has remained largely silent about the subject so far.
Another reason is many players who were protesting on the field last season have instead been trying to make their voices heard by working in the community to address social and racial issues.
Demario Davis of the Saints, a member of the Players Coalition group that strives to address inequity and injustice issues, explained about the difference in thinking this season.
“What we’re about is not what’s in the headlines or being talked about the most. We’re most concerned about the issues plaguing our country; that’s what we want to be on the front line of,” Davis said. “When there are some deep injustices in our country – and a lot of them are round racial disparity – where can we use our platform to help?”
Despite the shift in thinking, not everyone is complimentary of the Players Coalition. Eric Reid, who just signed with the Panthers and is known for protesting alongside Colin Kaepernick, called it “an NFL subversion group” this week.
Reid, like Kaepernick, has an ongoing collusion grievance against the NFL in the courts.
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