For one night at least, the talk after an NFL football game was about what happened on the field after play began, not before it.
During the playing of the national anthem before last night’s Hall of Fame Game, Chicago Bears players stood with their arms linked and the Baltimore Ravens players stood respectfully too.
Players on both teams chose to honor the policy the NFL installed over the offseason even though it is no longer in place. Currently on hold, the new policy is being tweaked by the NFL with input from the NFLPA.
Chicago linebacker Sam Acho, the team’s NFLPA representative, said the Bears had talked about how to handle the situation and decide to go with a unified front, for a night at least.
“Not everyone has the same skin color. Not everyone has the same religious background. Not everyone has the same sexual orientation. We come from so many different backgrounds and experiences, so it’s going to be hard to figure out one solution that fits everyone,” Acho told the Chicago Tribune. “But the great thing about a team is when you do something for your brothers, you’re doing it for yourself. And so even if you don’t believe wholeheartedly in some issue, you believe in your teammates. So you do it for your teammates.”
Instead of the anthem, post-game chatter revolved around the struggles of rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson. Tough break for Jackson, but a nice change for the rest of us.
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