Three Dolphins protest during anthem

Posted by Mike Florio on August 9, 2018, 9:09 PM EDT
AP

Last year, three Dolphins consistently took a knee during the national anthem: receiver Kenny Stills, tight end Julius Thomas, and safety Michael Thomas. Still is the only one left, and he was joined in protest during the anthem on Thursday night by a free-agent arrival.

Via multiple reports, former Chiefs receiver Albert Wilson also took a knee during the anthem. New Dolphins defensive end Robert Quinn separately raised a fist during the anthem.

Three weeks ago, the NFL suspended enforcement against the players a new anthem policy that requires those inclined to protest to stay in the locker room, after word emerged that the Dolphins listed violation of the anthem policy as conduct that could trigger a fine or a suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.

The NFL and NFL Players Association met to attempt to resolve the anthem issue nearly two weeks ago, with no agreement reached.

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44 responses to “Three Dolphins protest during anthem”

  4. Fine any player that protests 1 million dollars.
    That will stop every player from protesting.

  13. The protesters may be jeopardizing their chance of making the team, but they are fearless. That is a good sign. There should not be a ban on peaceful protests. It is our right as Americans.

  14. Get a real job and see what your employer says when you want to protest on company time…thats right right you can’t get a real job amd don’t understand your fans WHO PAY YOUR CHECK #stand like a man

  18. Hope they cut them. Watch how fast it will

    stop. If they don’t I will take a knee at work.

    Wonder how long I would have a job

  20. Jeez . . . why does it have to be my favorite team pulling this crap? Hopefully they get rid of both Thomases by opening day, and Stills by next season.

  25. Kenny stills: Team captain and won the community service award for the dolphins the last 2 years….ya know just fyi before the comments of “bad teammate for creating a distraction and put himself before the team” and before the “but why dont they go out and actually do something”

  28. It’s only a “huge issue”, because the media and their cameras are sitting, waiting to make sure to see if there are protesters. 10 years ago the only time I ever saw the Anthem even get TV time was during the Conference Championship and Super Bowl.

    Personally, this whole thing is a little stale and I wish it was an afterthought.

  29. Looks like year 3 with no NFL for me. I’ll hang with the NCAA again. Too bad, I was hopeful, but I can’t support them. It’s too bad a few have spoil the bunch, but I get it. Hopefully sometime soon they’ll get it too.

  30. These anti-American protests are really damaging the league with the fans. We are sick and tired of it and will show our displeasure by turning the TV off and closing our purses and wallets. I can’t wait for the college season to start so I can watch football on Saturdays instead of Sundays and not be offended by players who disparage the country by refusing to stand for the National Anthem.

  34. Do these numbnuts even know what exactly they’re protesting and why? And what change they want to see? And how they would implement that change?

    At this point, it’s about “making a statement,” even if that statement is, “Hey world, I’m a complete idiot.”

  37. I don’t know why the NFL doesn’t just keep them in the locker until after the anthem. Their will always be someone showing off not in the name of a cause but just to get attention for themself

  40. Guess I’ll be sitting out another season, I have things to do with my time than watch my country be disrespected. I may be done period.

  43. is a disrespect to the country & the fans… and these players should be cut. What happen with the Commissioner,the Owners & the Union? They must be end this situation or the lose their fans and eventually soon the NFL will be RIP .

  44. As an NFL fan and a Dolphins fan of over 4 decades I am supremely disappointed in the Dolphins players that chose to kneel/raise fist and the team’s/leagues inability to handle such a simple situation. I waited to see what they would do prior to turning on the game. A post on social media described the “protests” and so I didn’t bother to turn the game on even though I was anxious to see how Tannehill looked after his absence.

    Here is the deal. The players claim that their protest is about (*checks changing list of reasons) minority injustice and not about disrespect or contempt towards flag and country. That is false. The reason I say this is because their protest for social injustice can apparently only exist in a specific two-minute window that happens to be when the national anthem is played prior to the weekly game. They refuse to move it to any of the other 10,078 minutes during the week…it MUST be in those two particular minutes. They claim that is to get the message out. I have two points on that assertion. #1 the message has been out for going on three years now and the message is not furthered by a weekly protest. #2 look at the aftermath of their protests. Watch the TV channels, read some of the articles and social media posts. None of them are about the message. They are all about players vs league, a false belief it is a free speech issue or the disrespect to the flag and alienation of millions of fans. Congrats players! You have effectively stamped out your own message with your obstinance.

    The so-called protests are not a free speech issue at all. It is no longer about any injustice. It is now morphed into a power struggle or anarchist movement. The league already has written policy in place. They are the employer. Every employer in the USA has the right to establish standards of conduct for employees while on the job. The CBA argument some point to is a red herring. There is no need for a new policy because the current policy was approved and it prevents personal messages and lists various penalties for non-compliance. The players are wrong. Their supporters are wrong. This is easily fixed. The ONLY reason it is not fixed is because the league fears the anarchists, being labeled as racists somehow or some future frivolous court battle that can be costly if the initial judge fails to throw it out.

    To the league: Tell your employees how to behave on company time while directly representing YOUR brand. If they refuse to behave appropriately then DON’T let them play. It is their choice to behave a certain way but it is YOUR choice on how to discipline your employees. Keep up the fence riding and you will limit a business that could figuratively print its own money. The lack of common sense on this issue is awe inspiring. How many fans are you willing to lose so a handful of players can “fight the man”?

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