Most Raiders sit, some Redskins kneel during anthem

Sep 25, 2017 - 12:21 PM LANDOVER, Md. -- The Oakland Raiders considered remaining in the locker room for the national anthem prior to their nationally televised game with the Washington Redskins on Sunday night.

Most of the Raiders players remained seated during the anthem after President Donald Trump criticized professional athletes Friday for not standing during the anthem as a form of protest.

"We chose to be unified," Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said following Oakland's 27-10 loss. "If they didn't have the kickoff so close to the anthem, we probably would have stayed in instead of going out, but that's the way we handled it."

Boos were heard from the FedExField crowd as the Raiders sat with their arms linked. Across the field, the majority of the Redskins, joined by owner Daniel Snyder, stood with their arms linked. About a half-dozen kneeled.

"To put it succinctly, the statement that we're trying to make is that injustice in the country doesn't sit well with us," Oakland offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse said after the game.

"Regardless of what the president said, this has been an ongoing problem, and our main concern is with that, and it might seem that way -- that it was kind of a reaction to the president -- but this stuff has been going on for a long time. Guys have been persecuted for a long time, and we felt as a group that it was what we needed to do tonight."

After the anthem, the Washington Redskins issued a statement: "Football has always served as the great unifier, bringing people together to celebrate the values of courage, commitment and achievement. We are proud of the players, coaches and fans of the Washington Redskins for all that they have done to improve the lives of others in neighborhoods all across our region.

"We are also grateful for the sacrifices made by the brave men and women of our armed forces that have provided us the freedom to play football. In that great tradition, the Washington Redskins will work to address divisions and bring unity, civility and respect to our greater community."

Redskins coach Jay Gruden was asked after the game about how Washington made its decision regarding the anthem.

"I mean, we want to show unity, we issued a statement already from the organization's standpoint, I'm going to defer to that right now, but this is a team sport and we take a lot of pride in the national anthem and hopefully we can move forward going on to the next game," he said.

Trump criticized players who kneel for the anthem during a Friday rally in Alabama.

"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. He's out! He's fired. He's fired!'" Trump said.

On Sunday morning, Trump tweeted on the issue, repeating his call for players to be fired.

Raiders owner Mark Davis spoke in support of his players to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez.

"Over the last year, though, the streets have gotten hot and there has been a lot of static in the air and recently, fuel has been added to the fire. I can no longer ask our team to not say something while they are in a Raider uniform," Davis said. "The only thing I can ask them to do is do it with class. Do it with pride. Not only do we have to tell people there is something wrong, we have to come up with answers. That's the challenge in front of us as Americans and human beings."

According to the Washington Post, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder donated $1 million to President Trump's inaugural festivities, per a Federal Election Commission filing.