SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Seahawks link arms during national anthem while 4 Dolphins kneel

Sep 11, 2016, 1:18 PM | Updated: 1:51 pm

Richard Sherman on NFL demonstrations: "Whether they’re taking a knee or whether they’re lockin...

Richard Sherman on NFL demonstrations: "Whether they’re taking a knee or whether they’re locking arms, they’re trying to bring people together and unite them for a cause." (AP)

(AP)

Seattle Seahawks players and coaches, including cornerback Richard Sherman (25) and head coach Pete Carroll, third from left, stand and link arms during the singing of the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) 
              Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman wears a ribbon decal on his helmet that reads "9/11" in observance of the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, before NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
            From left, Miami Dolphins' Jelani Jenkins, Arian Foster, Michael Thomas, and Kenny Stills, kneel during the singing of the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear) A U.S. flag fills the field at CenturyLink Field during the singing of the national anthem before an NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, second from left, takes a photo with U.S. Navy sailors at CenturyLink Field before an NFL football game between the Seahawks and the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) An usher helps Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin sign an autograph for a fan before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Miami Dolphins' Arian Foster (29), holds his hands together and bows before kneeling during the singing of the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, , Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

As expected, the Seahawks linked arms during the national anthem as a sign of unity on the 15th anniversary of 9/11, while some members of the Miami Dolphins knelt on the opposite side of the field, joining the movement of silent protests by NFL players started by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the preseason.

Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin tweeted a video Sunday revealing the team’s plan to interlock arms, narrating a video over headshots of each player, saying, “We are a team comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds, and as a team we have chosen to stand and interlock arms in unity. We honor those who have fought for the freedom we cherish and we stand to ensure the riches of freedom and the security of justice for all people. Progress can and will be made only if we stand together.”

The tweet included this message in text: “Martin Luther King Jr. once famously said ‘Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.’ #BuildABridge”

Cornerback Jeremy Lane, who followed 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick’s lead by sitting during the anthem in Seattle’s final preseason game to protest police brutality against African-Americans, stood along with each other member of the Seahawks during their show of unity.

Miami’s Arian Foster, Michael Thomas, Kenny Stills and Jelani Jenkins knelt.

Pete Carroll supports ‘respectful’ planned pregame demonstration

A field-sized American flag was unfurled at CenturyLink Field covering everything but the end zone, and President Barack Obama spoke in a taped video prior to the anthem to commemorate the 15th anniversary of 9/11.

While multiple members of law enforcement declined to comment about protests outside of CenturyLink Field before the game, Det. Michael Whidbey, with the Seattle Police Department, said he appreciated the Seahawks’ plan of linking arms more than what had been done by Kaepernick.

“I like that more than just sitting down and not telling people (why),” Whidbey said. “(Kaepernick) didn’t really come out to begin with and tell people why he was sitting down. He just gave a vague answer. The Seahawks are actually giving a reason. The Seahawks are actually putting out a platform. I like that much better. … I’m not a big Colin Kaepernick fan anyway.”

Whidbey said he supports protest but that he also wants to see a purpose behind the stance.

“Have a solution,” he said. “Come forward with something else. Let’s build a bridge. Let’s get something together. If you’re going to sit there and say that police are doing something wrong, then what would you have us to do? That’s what’s more important than just sitting down at the national anthem. Give us some solutions, give us an idea of what you want us to do.”

Perhaps using Seattle’s blueprint, the Kansas City Chiefs linked arms before their game against the Jets, with cornerback Marcus Peters – a former UW Husky – holding a single raised fist at the end of the line throughout the song.

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