As football fans across the nation speculate whether athletes will protest on the 15th anniversary weekend of 9/11, coach Pete Carroll talked about his expectations of the Seahawks players in their "demonstration of unity" before the home opener on Sunday.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin tweeted Thursday that the team "will honor the country and flag" in a "demonstration of unity" prior to Sunday's season opener against Miami.
When approached in the locker room by reporters, Baldwin declined to elaborate further saying, "you'll see on Sunday."
To express a desire to bring people together, our team will honor the country and flag in a pregame demonstration of unity.
— Doug Baldwin Jr (@DougBaldwinJr) September 8, 2016
During a news conference on Friday, Carroll was asked about Baldwin’s tweet.
"I’m so proud of the process they have gone through as they are working to make the choices, decisions to do what they are going to do,” he said.
“They’re going to be very thoughtful, very respectful … honoring what should be recognized. I’m just very proud of how they’ve gone through it. They have a conscience about what they are doing and they really want to do the right thing.”
The national anthem protest debate started with 49ers Colin Kaepernick; he refused to stand for the anthem in August because he believes the United States oppresses African Americans and other minorities.
>> Related: Steve Largent talks national anthem, white privilege and Seahawks
Here’s how the timeline has developed for the Seahawks.
- Seahawks’ Jeremy Lane first sat out the national anthem during the team’s last pre-season game. Earlier this week, he said he would continue to remain seated.
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- On Sept. 7, Doug Baldwin said he considered joining Lane in not standing for the anthem. On the same day, Bobby Wagner expressed opinions that the Seahawks should act together.
- The next day, Baldwin tweeted that the team "will honor the country and flag" in a "demonstration of unity.” Former Green Beret and one-time Seahawks long-snapper Nate Boyer tweeted later in the afternoon that he had spoken with the Seahawks players about their plans and wrote, "what the team will do is a powerful sign of unification + respect for the Anthem + those that fight for our Freedom!"
- In addition to Carroll’s statement on Friday, Baldwin said that he can’t say what the plan is Sunday, but he is adamant “it’s not a protest,” according to The Seattle Times.
KIRO 7 News has your best seat in the house for Sunday’s home opener against the Miami Dolphins. We will be down on the field, out with the 12s, and overlooking CenturyLink from the StadiumPlace apartment. It’s a 1:05 kickoff. KIRO 7's pregame show kicks off at 12 p.m.
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