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Three Packers sit down in protest during national anthem

Three Packers sit down during national anthem
Three Packers sit down during national anthem
Three Packers sit down during national anthem
Three Packers sit down during national anthem
Posted at 3:25 PM, Sep 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-24 20:39:49-04

The Green Bay Packers had three players sit down in protest during today's national anthem before their game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tight ends Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks (a Milwaukee native) and defensive back Kevin King all chose to sit down during the anthem.

Most Packers and Bengals stood and locked their arms in solidarity during the anthem.

When asked about the protests and whether the team met about the issue, Packers defensive lineman Dean Lowry told WTMJ's Greg Matzek "nothing too deliberate. Coach McCarthy told the team that 'Whatever you do, be behind us.' "

As for the locked arms gesture, "it was a good show of solidarity," said Lowry.

"It shows the solidarity, the closeness our team has. We're on the same page."

President Trump spoke Friday about the issue of kneeling during the anthem, using a derogatory term for athletes who do so and saying NFL teams should fire those players. He continued his statement of that on Twitter Saturday and Sunday.

"It was tough to hear that," said Lowry.

"To have a comment like that was kind of off...we have a lot of smart guys in the locker room who look at the big picture of things...coming together and being close as a team, making a good change."

Packers President Mark Murphy spoke up in support of players' rights to protest in a team statement on Saturday.

Before the game,Aaron Rodgers made his own statement on Instagram.